The Facts on Dating Violence in Youth Relationships

  • Dating violence is the highest among the 15-24 age group, making up 43% of all incidents of dating violence[1].
  • Young women between the ages of 15-19 experience 10 times more violence in relationships then young men[2].
  • 13% of girls who said they have been in a relationship report being physically abused[3].
  • More than 1 in 4 girls in a relationship (26%) report being verbally abused[4].
  • 1 in 3 youth report knowing a friend or peer who has been physically abused by their partner[5].
  • 62% of youth (age 11-14) who have been in a relationship say they know friends who have been verbally abused[6].
  • 1 in 5 girls who have been in a relationship have had their boyfriend threaten violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up[7].
  • Young women between the ages of 15 to 24 are killed nearly three times the rate for all female victims of domestic homicide[8].
  • 66% of all female victims of sexual assault are under the age of twenty-four, and 11% are under the age of eleven[9].
  • Youth under 18 represented 22% of the Canadian population in 2004 but made up 58% of victims of sexual offences[10].
  • Being young and female is a risk factor of sexual assault.  86% of sexual offences reported to the police in the year 2004 were committed against females[11].
  • Each year in Canada, an estimated 360,000 children witness or experience family violence[12].
  • Research shows that children who witness violence are more likely to grow up to become victims or abusers[13].

[3] Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.

[4] Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005

[5] Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.

[6] Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2008.

[7] Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.

[8] 2009 Annual Statistical Report, Toronto Police Services, p. 17.

[9] 2009 Annual Statistical Report, Toronto Police Services, p. 17.

[10] Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006, Statistics Canada http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/access_acces/archive.action?loc=/pub/85-570-x/85-570-x2006001-eng.pdf

[11] Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006, Statistics Canada http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/access_acces/archive.action?loc=/pub/85-570-x/85-570-x2006001-eng.pdf

[12] Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children, Joint report by UNICEF, The Body Shop International, and the Secretariat for the United.

BWSS | Every 5 days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner