Victimization

Description:

This report presents a brief overview of the information collected in Cycle 13 of the General Social Survey (GSS). Cycle 13 is the third cycle (following cycles 3 and 8) that collected information in 1999 on the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in Canada. Focus content for cycle 13 addressed two areas of emerging interest: public perception toward alternatives to imprisonment; and spousal violence and senior abuse. Other subjects common to all three cycles include perceptions of crime, police and courts; crime prevention precautions; accident and crime screening sections; and accident and crime incident reports. The target population of the GSS is all individuals aged 15 and over living in a private household in one of the ten provinces

Description:

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the findings of the 1999 General Social Survey on victimization and public perceptions of crime and the justice system. The chapters examine the risks of violent and household victimization; urban and rural victimization; victims' use of services; and perceptions and fear of crime.

Description:

This Juristat presents estimates of the number of children in Canada who have witnessed violence in their homes in recent years, and compares the characteristics of these children and their families to children who have not witnessed violence. This analysis also examines links between witnessing violence and behavioural outcomes among children.Estimates of the extent of family violence witnessed by children in Canada are available through three national surveys conducted by Statistics Canada: the 1999 General Social Survey on Victimization, the 1993 Violence Against Women Survey, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The GSS and the VAWS are victimization surveys that ask a random sample of adults (men and women in the case of the GSS and women only in the case of the VAWS) about their experiences of spousal violence and whether their children witnessed the violence. In the NLSCY, a random sample of children are selected and the person most knowledgeable about the child responds to a wide range of questions about the child and the household, including whether the child sees adults or teenagers in the home physically fighting, hitting or otherwise trying to hurt others.

Description:

Research studies have found a connection between spousal violence and separation, particularly for women. Using data from the 1999 General Social Survey, the 1993 Violence Against Women Survey, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Homicide Survey, this Juristat investigates the prevalence, nature and severity of violence that occurs following the breakdown of a marital union.

Description:

The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) is the first national study on the incidence of child abuse and neglect reported to, and investigated by, child welfare services in Canada. Prior to this study, available data had been largely limited to police-reported incidents of assault and homicide. However, because of the secrecy that often surrounds cases of child abuse, many cases never come to the attention of the police.

Description:

Children and youth are most likely to be killed by family members. Of the 1,990 solved homicides of children and youth recorded by police in Canada between 1974 and 1999, family members were responsible for 63% of the deaths. The remaining solved homicides committed against children and youth were carried out by acquaintances and strangers (27% and 10%, respectively). In contrast, 50% of adults were killed by acquaintances, followed by family members (34%) and strangers (16%). Between 1974 and 1999, the annual rate of homicides of children and youth fluctuated from year to year, ranging from a high of 14 per million in 1981 to the previous low of 8 per million in 1993.

Description:

The reactions of children who witness violence by one parent against the other can include emotional, social, cognitive, physical and behavioural maladjustment problems (Jaffe, Wolfe and Wilson 1990). These children tend to show lower levels of social competence; higher rates of depression, worry and frustration; and are more likely than other children to develop stress-related disorders and to show lower levels of empathy (Fantuzzo, et al. 1991; Graham-Bermann and Levendosky 1998; Moore and Pepler 1998; Edleson 1999b).

Description:

The 1999 General Social Survey was the first attempt by Statistics Canada to measure spousal violence in a comprehensive way on a traditional victimization survey. Both women and men were asked a module of 10 questions concerning violence by their current or previous spouses and common-law partners. The nature of the violence under study ranged in severity from threats to sexual assault, and it concerned acts that happened in the 12-month and 5-year periods preceding the survey interview.

Description:

One measure taken to assist abused women and their children leaving violent situations has been the development of an ample system of shelters. Shelters offer abused women and their children a temporary and safe place to live. Currently, shelters exist in every province and territory and they provide services to children and female victims of various types of abuse.

Description:

This paper outlines the experience of Aboriginal people as victims and offenders in the criminal justice system, using a mix of demographic, economic and justice data.

Description: Annual admissions (number, percent) to residential facilities for victims of abuse, by resident type and area density, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of residents (number, percent) in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by reason for seeking shelter, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse compared with individuals living in Canada, by selected characteristics, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent, rate per 100,000) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by age group, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by type of abuse experienced, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by relationship of abuser to the adult female, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: Percent of residential facilities for victims of abuse offering selected services, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: Homeless Shelter Capacity in Canada, bed and shelter counts by target population and geographical location for emergency shelters, transitional housing, and domestic violence shelters.

Description: Number of victims and rate per 100,000 population of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing bodily harm or death, by age of victim and type of violation, Canada, provinces, territories and census metropolitan areas, 2009 to 2022.

Description: Number of victims and rate per 100,000 population of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing bodily harm or death, by gender of victim and type of violation, Canada, provinces, territories and census metropolitan areas, 2009 to 2022.

Description:

Over the past twenty years, there has been growing public awareness and concern about the occurrence of sexual offending and the personal and societal costs associated with these acts. There has been a gradual reduction in the stigma associated with being a victim of these crimes and, as supports for victims have developed, there has been an apparent increased willingness of victims to report these crimes to police, often long after the abuse has occurred. In many cases, the perpetrators of these crimes are in trusted positions of authority and the victims are dependent children. This Juristat presents statistical data on the prevalence of sexual offences reported to the police and the characteristics of the offenders and victims involved. It also highlights some of the salient issues associated with the response of the justice system and the public to offenders and their victims. Data sources include statistics collected by the police, courts and correctional institutions. These official sources probably represent only a small portion of all sexual offences and offenders, since results from victimization surveys suggest that as many as 90% of all sexual offences are not reported to the police. Data concerning victims of sexual offences, including information available from victimization surveys, are presented in the final section of this report.

Description:

Police-reported statistics indicate that crime rates in Canada decreased for the fifth consecutive year in 1996. Similar trends have been noted in England/Wales and the United States. Results from victimization surveys confirm this recent trend, yet despite this decrease in crime, many Canadians remain fearful of being victimized. What is the source of this fear; who is more likely to be a victim of violent crime; who is the typical perpetrator; and where is the victimization likely to take place? Generally speaking, questions like these are designed to assess concerns about threats of violence by strangers. But what is the nature of violent incidents involving strangers and what are the characteristics of those strangers? The answers to these questions are examined below.The purpose of this Juristat is to examine the profile of perpetrators and victims of violent crime by comparing characteristics of crimes committed by strangers to those involving offenders known to the victim. This will contribute to discussions about the nature of violent crime and about related concerns that are at the centre of current debates.

Description:

In 1996, 21, 901 cases of spousal assault were recorded in a sample of 154 police departments across the country. The proportion of male victims of spousal assault was relatively small (11%) compared to female victims (89%).

Description:

This section examines the nature and extent of cases of spousal violence reported to the police. Special attention is given to how spousal violence differs for women and men.

Description:

Child abuse and neglect often result in physical, emotional and developmental problems which can affect victims throughout their lifetime.However counting cases of child abuse is fraught with many difficulties.

Description:

This series of reports provides detailed statistics and analysis on the major areas of the criminal justice system (police, courts, legal aid, prosecutions and correctional services), as well as on a variety of current topics and issues related to justice in Canada.

Description:

The abuse of children and youth in the family is a serious concern for Canadians. Child abuse and neglect often result in physical, emotional and developmental problems which can affect the victims throughout their lives. There are currently no national estimates of child abuse in Canada. Only those incidents that come to the attention of officials, such as the police and child welfare agencies, are known. Efforts to understand the nature and the scope of child abuse should therefore take into account the fact that available data reflect only a portion of the total. This Juristat uses statistical databases of police reported incidents across Canada to describe what is currently known from a criminal justice perspective about violence against children and youth in the family. Although these police reported incidents account for only a portion of all abuse that occurs, they nonetheless provide an important tool for profiling the more serious cases. For the purposes of this analysis, "children" include all young persons under 18 years of age, and "family members" include persons related to the victim by kniship, either through blood, marriage, common-law or adoption, as well as legal guardians such as foster parents.

Description:

The purpose of this report is to reduce the level of confusion arising from the use of crime data originating from two very different sources (i.e., the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey - UCR and the General Social Survey - GSS) and to inform discussions about which is the better measure of crime. It explains why the findings based on these data sources diverge and summarizes the major differences between the two surveys.

Description:

The intent of this Juristat is to present police and court data on criminal harassment that are currently available from Statistics Canada's Revised Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and Adult Criminal Court Survey (ACCS). As the legislation is relatively new, this report is a first attempt at producing a detailed analysis of criminal harassment data. The statistics in this report provide only a partial picture of criminal harassment in Canada and are not nationally representative. As such, the analysis will focus on the nature of incidents rather than the extent. Please refer to the Methodology section for more details on the data sources.

Description:

In every province and territory, abused women and their children can find refuge in a variety of facilities that provide residential services. In 1994-95, transition homes and similar institutions recorded more than 85,000 admissions. Most of the women admitted were escaping physical abuse by a current or previous spouse or common-law partner.

Description:

This objective of this report is to present the status of national data on Aboriginal people who come into contact with the criminal justice system as offenders and victims. The report examines the current and potential collection of an individual's Aboriginal identity through various justice-related surveys at Statistics Canada, the challenges within these surveys to collect these data and provides some insight into the quality of these data. The data and sources are examined within the context of information needs for the justice and social policy sectors, and in relation to the preferred method of measuring Aboriginal Identity at Statistics Canada. Data sources examined include the Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, the Homicide Survey, the Integrated Criminal Courts Survey, the Adult Corrections Survey, the Youth Custody and Community Services Survey, the Youth Alternative Measures Survey, the Transition Home Survey, the Victim Services Survey and the General Social Survey on Victimization. Finally, the report briefly describes efforts by other countries to improve justice-related information on their indigenous populations.

Description: The Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA) is a census of Canadian residential facilities primarily mandated to provide residential services to victims of abuse. The objective of SRFVA is to produce statistics on the services offered by these facilities during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of the clientele being served on a specific date (mid-April of the survey year).

Description: This survey was designed to provide information for planning and evaluating crime prevention programs.

Description: This one-time-only survey examines the safety of women both inside and outside the home - perceptions of fear, sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence and threats by strangers, dates/boyfriends, other known men, husbands and common-law partners.

Description: The two primary objectives of the General Social Survey (GSS) are: - to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well-being of Canadians over time; and - to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest.

Description: The objective of this survey is to collect information on victim service agencies that provided services directly to primary or secondary victims of crime during the 12-month reference period, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of clientele being served on a specific date. Information on activities by criminal injuries compensation/financial benefit programs during the 12-month reference period is also collected.

Description: The purpose of this is to collect data on residential services for abused and at-risk youth (aged 16 to 29) during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day "snapshot" of the clientele being served on a specific date.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to collect information on Canadians' experiences related to their safety in public and private spaces. Questions are asked about these personal experiences at home, in the workplace, in public spaces and online.

Description: The purpose of the Canadian Victim Services Indicators (CVSI) project is to collect aggregate statistics from victim services directorates with provincial and territorial governments to provide information on the characteristics of victims accessing services, the types of services utilized, and case load demands in order to better develop programs and services for victims of violence.

Description: The primary objective of this survey is to better understand how Canadian students perceive their personal safety in the school-related environment, as well as their experiences of victimization in this setting. The information will be used by governments to develop and implement programs and policies to help Canadian postsecondary students.