December 6

"Violence against women and girls affects us all. It destroys lives and weakens the fabric of our society. As a population, it takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy."

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”


VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: The Numbers

• Women and girls are more likely than men to experience violence and assault in intimate and family relationships.
• According to the 2009 General Social Survey, women report experiencing more serious forms of spousal violence and are more likely to incur injuries than men.
• According to the 2009/2010 Transition Home Survey, between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, admissions of women to Canada's shelters for abused women exceeded 64,000. Since 1998, annual shelter admissions for women have been relatively stable. ¹
• Young women experience the highest rates of family violence.

Aboriginal Women 

• Aboriginal women are almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being the victim of a violent crime, including spousal violence.
• In 2009, close to two-thirds of Aboriginal female victims were aged 15 to 34. This age group accounted for just under half of the total female Aboriginal population over age 15 living in the 10 provinces.
• Among victims of spousal violence, six in 10 Aboriginal women reported being injured in the five years preceding the survey; the proportion was four in 10 among non-Aboriginal women.
• Over three-quarters of non-spousal incidents of violence against Aboriginal women are not reported to police. 

Status of Women Canada