The Evolution of Measuring
Violence Against
Women at Statistics Canada
UN Global Forum on Gender Statistics
December 10-12, 2007
Presented by Heather Dryburgh
On behalf of the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics,
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada data sources
to measure violence against women
1.
Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (police data)
2.
Homicide Survey
3.
Victimization Surveys
4.
Transition Home Survey
5.
Victim Services Survey
6.
Record linkage
Police statistics – Uniform Crime
Reporting Survey
Collecting aggregate police statistics since
1962.
 In 1988 began collecting micro data from
police forces.

 Victim


and accused characteristics
Incident characteristics
Relationship of victim and accused
Women represent a large majority of
all victims of spousal violence
reported to the police, 2004
30,000
25,892 (84%)
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,060 (16%)
5,000
0
Women
Men
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Revised Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2004
Police statistics - Homicide Survey
Homicide Survey began in 1961.
 Began collecting data on family-related
homicides in 1974.
 1991 and 1997 revised and expanded

 Previous
conviction history
 History of domestic violence
 Victim’s use of force at time of incident
Rates of spousal homicide declined by
half, 1974-2004
Female victims
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1974
1978
1982
1986
Male victims
1990
1994
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Homicide Survey.
1998
2002
Risk of spousal homicide highest for
young women, 1994 -2003
Rate per million
25
22.5
20
Slain wives
Slain husbands
15
10
8.5
10.2
9.6
5.9
5
2.4
3
3.6
1.4
1
45-54
55+
0
15-24
25-34
35-44
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Homicide Survey, 19942003.
Advantages of police data

Annual statistics

Standard measure over time and among cities and
provinces

Criminal Code definitions

Based on physical evidence and witnesses
Disadvantages of police data

Not representative of all crimes

Little information about victims, ie.,
characteristics, consequences, outcomes

Subject to changes in victim reporting, legislation,
police policies, societal attitudes
Statistics Canada’s Victimization
Surveys


General Social Survey on Victimization – 1988,
1993, 1999, 2004

1993 - Improvements made to better measure sexual assault

1999 - Special modules to measure spousal violence

2004 – Added a module to measure criminal harassment or
stalking
1993 - National Survey on Violence Against
Women
Objectives of Measuring Violence
Against Women
Nature and extent of violence
 Dimensions of women’s fear
 Consequences and outcomes of violence
 Use of police and other services
 Theory testing, e.g. violence and pregnancy
 Policy development

Rates of violence against women by
relationship, since the age of 16
Total
51
Spouse/ex-spouse
29
Date/boyfriend
16
Other known man
23
Stranger
23
0
10
20
30
40
Percent
Violence Against Women Survey, 1993
50
60
Measuring Spousal Violence

Threatened to hit you in a way that could hurt you.

Threw something at you that could hurt you.

Pushed, grabbed or shoved you in a way that could hurt
you.

Slapped you.

Kicked, bit, or hit you his/her fist.

Hit you with something.

Beaten you.

Choked you.

Use a gun/knife.

Sexual Assault.
Rates of wife assault by most serious
type of violence
Kicked, hit, beaten up, choked,
gun or knife, sex assault
16
Pushed, shoved, slapped
11
Threats, threw something
2
0
Violence Against Women Survey, 1993
5
10
Percent
15
20
Emotional abuse by current and
previous spouses/common-law
partners
 He/she tries to limit your contact with family or friends
 He/she puts you down or calls you names to make you feel bad
 He/she is jealous and doesn’t want you to talk to other men/women
 He/she harms, or threatens to harm, someone close to you
 He/she demands to know who you are with and where you are at all
times
 He/she damages or destroys your possessions or property
 He/she prevents you from knowing about or having access to family
income, even if you ask
Abuse report







Physical injury by type of
injury
Sought medical attention,
hospitalization
Stay in bed/Take time off
Partner’s alcohol use
Anyone else harmed or
threatened, including kids
Children witnessed
violence
Fear for life






Compensation
Police intervention - why
reported or not,
satisfaction with actions
Restraining orders
Use of informal and
formal supports (reason
not used)
Victim-offender mediation
Emotional impact of
violence
Spousal violence more prevalent in
previous unions
Women
Men
% (5 years)
25
21
20
16
15
10
7
6
5
3
3
0
Total
Source: General Social Survey, 2004
Current unions
Previous unions
Women experience more serious
types of violence
Male victims
Female victims
15
Threats, threw
something
11
Pushed, shoved,
slapped
34
Kicked, bit, hit, hit
with something
34
40
10
Beat, choked,
gun/knife, sexual
assault
16
39
0
5
10
15
20
25
%
Source: General Social Survey, 2004
30
35
40
45
Violence against women has more
serious outcomes
19
Injured
44
2
Medical attention
Male victims
Female victims
13
10
Feared for their lives
34
11
Assaulted more than
10 times
21
0
10
20
30
%
Source: General Social Survey, 2004
40
50
Transition Home Survey
Mail survey to all shelters (524)
 Bi-annual
 Characteristics of shelters and
services
 One-day snapshot of women and
children residents

Victim Services Survey
Mail survey to all victim services (606)
 Characteristics of victim services
 One-day snapshot of victims provided
service

Future efforts




Continue monitoring trends through police
reported statistics.
Continue to include measures of spousal violence
and criminal harassment on the GSS on
Victimization (2009).
Continue to undertake the Transition Home
Survey and Victim Services Survey.
Continue data linkage of police and courts files
and move towards linking across systems to better
understand case processing and outcomes of
violence against women cases.