Victimization

Description:

Using results from the 1999 GSS, this chapter will examine Canadians' perceptions and fear of crime. In particular, attention is focused on four main area: pervasiveness of fear of crime, factors that can affect fear of crime, and the use of precautionary measures.

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: 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 and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 2023.

Description: Police-reported hate crime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police, 2014 to 2023.

Description: Number of victims of solved homicides, by type of accused-victim relationship, Canada, 1974 to 2023.

Description: Number of victims of spousal homicide, Canada and regions, 1997 to 2023.

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:

In 2004/2005, the International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) was conducted for a fifth time. The purpose of the ICVS is to provide comparable international information on the nature and extent of crime using a standard questionnaire, survey procedures and techniques. The international survey measures the prevalence of victimization among people aged 16 and over, based on a series of ten offences. It also covers the reporting of criminal victimization incidents to the police, satisfaction with the police response, victim support, fear of crime, use of crime prevention measures and attitudes toward sentences.

This article is an adaptation of the publication Criminal Victimisation in International Perspective Key findings from the 2004-2005 ICVS and EU ICS. It compares Canada's results with those of other countries who participated in the 2004/2005 survey, focusing on several aspects: victimization prevalence rates, the rates of reporting to the police, and respondents' satisfaction with the police.

Canada participated in the most recent cycle of the survey conducted by Léger Marketing through the Department of Justice of Canada. It is one of the 30 countries that participated in the 2004/2005 cycle, and one of five industrialized countries to have participated in all cycles of the survey.

Description:

Since only a small proportion of sexual offences are formally documented, the prevalence of sexual assault in Canada has been difficult to quantify. Using data from the 1999 and 2004 General Social Surveys (GSS) on victimization and police-reported data derived from the aggregate Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) and the incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR2), the prevalence and nature of sexual assault in Canada is examined. Specifically, this report examines rates of sexual victimization; characteristics of victims and offenders; rates of police reporting; reasons for not reporting to police; the emotional effects of sexual victimization; as well as fear of crime and the use of precautionary measures by victims of sexual assault.

Description:

Using data from the 2006 Census of Population and self-reported data from the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization, this profile examines certain socio-demographic and economic characteristics of immigrants in Canada followed by an analysis of the rates and characteristics of violent crimes involving immigrant victims. It also provides information on immigrants perceptions of safety, of the criminal justice system and of discrimination.

Description:

This paper summarizes the major trends in the series on the spatial analysis of crime conducted by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) using geographic information system technology in Canadian cities. The main purpose of this analytical series was to explore the relationships between the distribution of crime and the demographic, socio economic and functional characteristics of neighbourhoods. Questions addressed include: How are police reported criminal incidents distributed across city neighbourhoods? Is the crime rate in a neighbourhood associated with factors that are specific to that neighbourhood, such as its demographic, socio-economic, housing and land use characteristics? Is the crime rate in a neighbourhood influenced by nearby neighbourhoods? These questions were explored using data from the 2001 Census of Population, the Incident-Based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR2), and land use data provided by the various cities.

Description:

This research paper explores youth delinquency using data from the International Youth Survey as self-reported by Toronto youth in 2006. In particular, the study examines how the associations between youth delinquency and age, sex, family composition and generational status are affected by factors related to school, victimization and family and friends. Detailed findings are presented for both property and violent delinquency.

Description:

Until 1993, police-reported statistics were the only national source of information on the nature and extent of spousal violence in Canada. However, it was generally recognized that relying on these data was limited because they only include incidents that come to the attention of the police. And given the 'hidden' nature of these incidents, spousal violence is an offence that is often not reported to the authorities

Description:

In 2004, as part of its General Social Survey program, Statistics Canada conducted a survey on victimization. This survey collected information on the extent and nature of self-reported criminal victimization, the impact and consequences of crime to the victim, reporting to the police and the use of informal and formal services. Similar surveys on victimization were conducted in 1999, 1993 and 1988.

Description:

This report examines the nature and extent of hate crime in Canada. Two complementary types of data are used: police-reported data drawn from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Hate Crime Supplemental Survey; and, self-reported data obtained from the General Social Survey on victimization. Key topics include motivations for hate crime (e.g. race/ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation), types of offences, geographical comparisons, accused and victim characteristics, consequences of hate crime and international comparisons. The report is intended to respond to the needs of those who work in the criminal justice system as well as to inform researchers, policy analysts, academics, the media and the general public.

Description:

Until recently, there were no national data on the extent to which gays, lesbians and bisexuals were victims of violent crime and discrimination, nor was there any national information about their fear of crime or their perceptions of the criminal justice system.

Using the GSS self-reported data, this new report provides a profile of the extent to which gays, lesbians and bisexuals were victims of violent crime and spousal violence. It also provides national information about their perception of discrimination, their fear of crime and their perception of the criminal justice system.

Description:

Using data from the 2001 Census of Population and self-reported data from the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization, this profile examines certain socio-demographic and economic characteristics of visible minorities in Canada followed by an analysis of the rates and characteristics of violent crimes involving visible minority victims. It also provides information on visible minorities perceptions of safety, discrimination and of the criminal justice system.

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: This is non-Statistics Canada information.

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.