Table 3
Victims of police-reported sexual assault, by selected characteristics, by quarterly #MeToo period, Canada, 2016 and 2017


Table 3
Victims of police-reported sexual assault, by selected characteristics, by quarterly #MeToo period, Canada, 2016 and 2017
Table summary
This table displays the results of Victims of police-reported sexual assault. The information is grouped by Selected characteristics (appearing as row headers), Pre-#MeToo
(Jan. 2016 to Sept. 2017), Post-#MeToo
(Oct. 2017 to Dec. 2017) and Percent change in quarterly number
(pre- to post-#MeToo), calculated using number, average per quarter, percent
(of total number) and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Selected characteristics Pre-#MeToo
(Jan. 2016 to Sept. 2017)		 Post-#MeToo
(Oct. 2017 to Dec. 2017)		 Percent change in quarterly number
(pre- to post-#MeToo)
number average per quarter percent
(of total number)		 number percent percent
Total sexual assaults 37,924 5,418 100.0 6,766 100.0 25
Sexual assault level 1 37,006 5,287 97.6 6,636 98.1 26
Sexual assault level 2 682 97 1.8 102 1.5 5
Sexual assault level 3 236 34 0.6 28 0.4 -17
Sex of victim
Male 4,046 578 10.7 723 10.7 25
Female 33,878 4,840 89.3 6,043 89.3 25
Age of victim (years)
0 to 11 4,330 619 11.4 674 10.0 9
12 to 17 10,169 1,453 26.8 2,000 29.6 38
18 to 24 9,342 1,335 24.6 1,628 24.1 22
25 to 34 6,705 958 17.7 1,148 17.0 20
35 to 44 3,726 532 9.8 636 9.4 19
45 to 54 2,128 304 5.6 398 5.9 31
55 to 64 911 130 2.4 162 2.4 24
65 to 89 613 88 1.6 120 1.8 37
Relationship between victim and accused
Stranger 7,809 1,116 20.6 1,188 17.6 6
Casual acquaintanceTable 3 Note 1 10,978 1,568 29.0 2,005 29.6 28
Intimate partnerTable 3 Note 2 6,248 893 16.5 1,102 16.3 23
Non-spousal family memberTable 3 Note 3 6,028 861 15.9 1,072 15.8 24
Friend or roommate 3,875 554 10.2 749 11.1 35
Business relationshipTable 3 Note 4 1,616 231 4.3 381 5.6 65
OtherTable 3 Note 5 1,370 196 3.6 269 4.0 37
Location of incident
Private propertyTable 3 Note 6 22,483 3,212 61.7 3,956 61.4 23
Open areaTable 3 Note 7 6,216 888 17.1 859 13.3 -3
Commercial areaTable 3 Note 8 2,932 419 8.1 538 8.3 28
SchoolTable 3 Note 9 1,646 235 4.5 439 6.8 87
Bar or restaurantTable 3 Note 10 842 120 2.3 176 2.7 46
OtherTable 3 Note 11 2,295 328 6.3 476 7.4 45
Physical injury to victim
No physical injury 25,066 3,581 76.1 4,499 76.7 26
Minor physical injuryTable 3 Note 12 7,729 1,104 23.5 1,355 23.1 23
Major physical injuryTable 3 Note 13 125 18 0.4 14 0.2 -22
Weapon present during incident
YesTable 3 Note 14 1,326 189 4.1 202 3.6 7
Physical force only 30,637 4,377 95.6 5,339 96.1 22
No weapon present 94 13 0.3 12 0.2 -11
Note 1

A social relationship which is neither long-term nor close; includes neighbours and other acquaintances known by sight only.

Return to note 1 referrer

Note 2

Includes spouses, separated/divorced partners, boyfriend or girlfriends, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriends, and any other intimate relationship types.

Return to note 2 referrer

Note 3

Includes parents or step-parents, children or step-children, other immediate family and extended family of the victim.

Return to note 3 referrer

Note 4

Includes relationships in which the workplace or business involved is the primary source of contact (e.g., co-workers, employees or employers, service providers, patrons, or clients of public services).

Return to note 4 referrer

Note 5

Includes criminal relationships and persons in authoritative positions.

Return to note 5 referrer

Note 6

Includes a single home, a dwelling unit or a private property structure.

Return to note 6 referrer

Note 7

Includes streets, roads or highways, parking lots, transit bus/bus shelters, subway/subway stations, other public transportation and connected facilities, and other open areas.

Return to note 7 referrer

Note 8

Includes commercial dwelling units (motel or hotel rooms, bed and breakfast accommodations, short term rental units) or other commercial or corporate places where the principal purpose is to conduct legitimate business for profit, including building or warehouse surrounding areas.

Return to note 8 referrer

Note 9

Includes junior kindergarten through to grade 13 schools or equivalent, whether during supervised or unsupervised activities, as well as university, college or business school campuses.

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Note 10

Includes any commercial establishment in which the primary activity is drinking, eating and/or entertainment.

Return to note 10 referrer

Note 11

Other location types include other non-commercial/corporate places, hospitals, correctional institutions, convenience stores, gas stations, religious institutions, banks or other financial institutions, construction sites, and homeless shelters/mission locations.

Return to note 11 referrer

Note 12

Victim suffered a minor physical injury as a result of the sexual assault that did not require professional medical treatment or only some first-aid, as reported by police.

Return to note 12 referrer

Note 13

Victim suffered a major physical injury as a result of the sexual assault that required professional medical attention or transportation to a medical facility, as reported by police.

Return to note 13 referrer

Note 14

A weapon (e.g., knife, other piercing object, club or blunt instrument, firearm, or other type of weapon) was present during the commission of the sexual assault.

Return to note 14 referrer

Note: Sexual assault offences include sexual assault level 1, level 2, and level 3. Counts are based on the number of victims where the most serious violation in the incident was sexual assault. Average quarterly figures for the pre-#MeToo period represent the average number of victims per quarter across the seven quarters preceding #MeToo. Reporting a crime to police can be done by any party, including the victim, a parent or guardian, or another third party. The pre-#MeToo period is defined as sexual assaults reported to police and classified as founded between January 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. The post-#MeToo period includes those reported and founded between October 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Numbers may not add up to totals due to rounding, exclusion of unknowns for some categories, or inclusion of only selected characteristics. Excludes incidents where the age or sex of the victim was unknown or over 89 years of age (<1%). Exercise caution when interpreting percent change figures when base figures are low.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.
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