Violence against Women – The Facts

According to the Statistics Canada:

• One-half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16 (1993).
• One in three Canadian women were victims of assault by a spouse or partner (1993).
• Four in ten Canadian women were victims of sexual assault (1993).
• Of all the provinces, the highest rate of violence was reported by women in B.C. (59%) (1993).
• 16% of all Canadian women (1.7 million) have been involved in at least one incident of sexual or physical assault by a date or boyfriend since the age of 16 (1993).
• Half of all women who reported an incident of dating violence were between the ages of 18-34 (1993).
• 24% of women 18 – 24 years had been sexually and/or physically assaulted by a date or boyfriend. This figure is 50 per cent higher than the national figure of 16 per cent (1993).
• In Canada, almost 75 women are murdered by their partner each year (2006).
• 98% of sex offenders are men and 82% of the survivors of these assaults are girls and women (1999).

The Statistics Canada Homicide in Canada 2000 reported that:

• Women were the victims in three of four spousal murders.

Police and Crime Summary Statistics for B.C. in 2000 indicate that

• 10,121 incidents of spousal assault were reported.
• 78.2% of the accused were males.
• 12.9% of the accused were females.
• 8.9% of reports involved both spouses assaulting each other.

According to the Canadian Crime Statistics, 2000 report:

• Male on female violence accounted for the majority (46.5%) of all violent crime in Canada.
• 37.8% was attributed to male on male violence.
• Female on female crime – where women were both the accused and the victim – accounted for 8.1% of the total.
• Female on male violence accounted for the lowest percentage of all violent crime in Canada at 7.6%.
• In 2000, according to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, globally at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime.

Numbers are people, too. By S. Higgins

A word about statistics.

When it comes to statistics relating to violence against women and children it’s important to know that you don’t have to be a math expert to understand the numbers. You simply have to be willing to recognize that each statistic represents a woman, child, or family — a life — torn apart by violence and abuse.

Every number has a face.

We cannot escape the facts. And the facts consistently demonstrate that women and girls are disproportionately victimized in our society in ways that threaten their physical, emotional, psychological and sexual wellbeing. This issue goes beyond human rights violations and points instead to the reality of systematic gender-based violence perpetuated year after year, generation after generation, against half the world’s population.

The causes of violent incidents are rarely physiological, not likely the result of chemical or alcohol abuse, and generally not isolated in occurrence according to most research (Nancy Myer-Emerick: An Analysis of Intent & Perception, 1994). In a broader context, violence is more often a result of unequal power between men and women. So let’s face some facts:

• 54% of girls under age 16 have experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention; 24% have experienced rape or coercive sex; 17% have experienced incest (Holmes & Silverman 1992; Russell 1996)
• Sexual abuse prevalence rates are in the range of 20 to 30% for females and 7 to 15% for males (Bagley 1991; Briere 1992)
• 63% of all sexual assaults reported to police involve girls under the age of 18 (Russell 1996)
• 84% of the victims of sexual assault are girls and 97% of the perpetrators are male. In 22% of the sexual assault cases a weapon was used (Department of Justice 1992)
• Girls are two to three times more likely to experience sexual abuse than boys (Johnston & Saenz 1997)
• Canadian statistics on child sexual abuse reveal that 64% of all reported sexual assaults are against children; 33% of those assaults occur at the hands of family members, half of whom are parents, with 97% of the perpetrators being male (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1994)
• In a survey of 3 major Canadian hospitals: 75% of children admitted for sexual assault were female, as were 48% of children admitted for physical abuse (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1994)
• The rate of sexual abuse for girls with disabilities is quadruple that of the national average (Razack 1994)
• A Toronto study of runaways found that 86% of the girls and 50% of the boys had experienced sexual abuse (Welsh et al. 1995)
• Nowhere do these numbers indicate the immeasurable suffering and pain of the victims who experience isolation, fear, powerlessness, physical injury or even death. More significantly, nowhere do they serve as a call to action from a society that demands immediate governmental response to toxic dog food imports but has yet to deem these terrible and unjust incidences of violence against women and children worthy of national outrage. Ready for more?
• Up to 75% of victims of sex crimes in Aboriginal communities are female under 18 years of age, 50% of those are under 14, and almost 25% of those are younger than 7 years of age (Correctional Service of Canada, cited in McIvor & Nahanee 1998:65)
• The incidence of child sexual abuse in some Aboriginal communities is as high as 75 to 80% for girls under 8 years old (McEvoy & Daniluk 1995)
• 14% of all reported physical assaults are against children; 22% of these assaults are by family members, most often parents. The majority of victims are between the ages of 12 and 17 (68%); 32% are 11 or younger.
• Weapons are used in 28% of cases of physical assault; 59% of victims suffered a minor injury, and 5% suffered a major injury. Most perpetrators are male (78%).
• The majority (70%) of physical assaults against children result in charges being laid (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1994)
• Canadian girls are victims in 84% of reported cases of sexual abuse, in 60% of reported cases of physical abuse, and in 52% of reported cases of neglect (Thomlinson, Stephens, Cunes, and Grinnel 1991)
• 43% of foster children experience violence within the foster home setting; 60% have been abused in the past; and 5% are still being abused (Kufeldt et al. 1998:21)
• 20% of girl students in Toronto secondary schools report experiencing abuse in their romantic relationships (Mercer 1987)
• 35% to 50% of young adults are involved in some level of physical abuse of their partners (Danielson et al. 1998)
• 39% of women who experience marital violence report that their children also witness the violence (Statistics Canada Violence Against Women Survey 1993)
• Almost 50% of youths in four residential treatment agencies and one youth shelter reported that they had witnessed their mothers being “slapped, hit, pushed, or punched” and of these, 50% witnessed injury to their mothers (Carlson 1990)
• The Ontario Native Women’s study on violence against women in Aboriginal communities reports that 80% of women and 40% of children are abused and assaulted (Lynn & O’Neill 1995)
• Between 1981 and 1992, 13% of homicide victims in Canada were under the age of 18. Family members committed 53% of all child homicides; 80% of these family perpetrated homicides were committed by the parents of the victims (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1994)
• Adolescent wives (aged 15 to 19) are murdered three times more frequently than adult wives (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1994)

What role does society play?
The ultimate goal when faced with statistics that validate such grim violence must be to establish and pursue a sociocultural framework for change that is rooted in justice for women, and supported by a judicial system that holds perpetrators accountable for their actions. Self-imposed limits on real action are evident in our political, legal and police systems that actively contribute to further oppression of women and allow for sanctions against perpetrators that are minimal or simply not enforced.

As a society, many of us still subscribe to the mythology that, somehow, the victim ‘asked’ for the abuse or that perpetrators were ‘forced’ by the victim to be abusive (Nancy Myer-Emerick: An analysis of Intent & Perception, 1994). Such mythology ensures that women are afraid to reveal the extent and nature of the abuse they suffer in order to avoid ridicule, stigma, and the wrath of partners who may intensify the cycle of abuse and further isolate her from any potential network of support. Significantly, immigrant and aboriginal women are often further marginalized since many may be socialized to believe that violence is acceptable and are under enormous pressures from social messages and expectations that challenge their self-worth. Poverty, isolation from family and friends, language difficulties, and homelessness further contribute to the victimization of the most vulnerable women in our society.

From the perspective of our government, our own constitutional philosophy of assumed equality has rejected outright the idea that women are abused simply because they are women. This allows government and judicial systems to openly avoid challenging or addressing underlying social issues and works to conceal their complicity with a sociocultural system that largely condones and tolerates violence against women (Habernas, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, 1989).

Hope for the future.
Fortunately, there are individuals, groups, systems and organizations that actively work to dispel the myths, seek justice for victims, and strive for a future of positive change and empowerment for women. Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) is an organization acting as a feminist voice against violence and oppression. Since 1979, BWSS has focused on the provision of support and advocacy for women who have experienced abuse, as well as education and training for the community about violence against women. As part of a global feminist anti-violence movement, our long-term goal is the elimination of all violence against women.

Our programs and services range from crisis intervention and intake, to Legal Advocacy and Aboriginal Women’s Programs, through to specialized trauma related care that manages short-term crises and ensures a focus on long-term, anti-violence initiatives. And we’ve got a few statistics of our own.

Data from April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007

Support Groups
Total of groups held: 26
Total number of sessions: 416
Number of women who accessed groups for the first time: 361
Number of women who accessed groups on ongoing basis: 1,287

Ongoing Counseling
Number of new women who were referred: 2,419
Number of women who accessed the program on ongoing basis: 3,974
Number of new intakes: 610

Crisis Support
Number of new referrals: 4,908
Number of women who accessed the program: 5,485

Information and Support
Number of general calls: 4,225

Diversity
Percentage of women who self identified as recent immigrants: 42%
Percentage of women who self identified as Aboriginal, Indigenous, First Nations, Native, Indian or Metis: 18%
Percentage of women who self identified as refugee: >1%
Percentage of women who self identified as lesbian or bi-sexual: 2%

The time to act is now.
BWSS’s intake, counseling and support statistics could be viewed as overwhelming, depressing or representative of an insurmountable problem. But we believe that these numbers represent the thousands of positive opportunities we have had to change our world — by supporting and empowering one woman at a time.

Simply relating these statistics does not expose or address the injustice and inhumanity that women suffer everyday in our own backyard. But they do serve to shine a light on the enormity of this issue and the need for immediate action on the part of all people in society.

It’s safe to say that if any ethnic, national or religious group were to be attacked, dominated, oppressed or violated in such numbers it would constitute a state of emergency that could not be ignored. We urge you to seek more information, volunteer with local organizations, and explore what you can do to help. It’s time to end this outrage and create a society where our mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, daughters and partners are valued, safe, and empowered.