Victims Statistics (Canada)

Sexual assault and child sexual abuse are highly misunderstood crimes. Understanding the common misconceptions that are prevalent in our society along with the facts helps you better understand sexual assault and educated others

• More than 110 children go missing every day in Canada
• Only 5% of sexual assaults are reported to the police, this rate has remained stable over the past 15 years
• From 2010 to 2017 there was a 118% increase in reported sexual assaults on children
• From 2010 to 2017 there was a 288% increase in police reported child pornography incidents
• Only 1-2% of “date rape” sexual assaults are reported to the police
• 1 in 4 females will be sexually assaulted by age 18
• 1 in 8 males will be sexually assaulted by age 18
• Less than 2% of reported sexual assaults are false reports
• 80% of predators are friends and family of the victim
• 60% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 17
• 83% of disabled females will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime
• 1 in 5 of all sexual assaults involve a weapon
• 62% of victims are physically injured in the attack, 9% are beaten severely or disfigured

Information for Communities

1. Sexual assault is the most underreported violent crime in Canada
2. Predators commonly overpower victims through threats and intimidation tactics. Moreover, many victims lack the capacity to appreciate or understand they are being assaulted.
3. Most common reasons for not reporting child sexual abuse were:
   • Children felt they would not be believed
   • Children felt ashamed or embarrassed
   • Children did not know they could report the abuse
   • Children did not have family support
   • Children did not know they were being abused
4. The most common reasons for not reporting a sexual assault to police were
   • Victim felt the crime was minor & not worth reporting (71%)
   • Victim felt the incident was a private matter (67%)
   • Victim felt no one was harmed (63%)
   • Concerns with the justice system, including not wanting the hassle of dealing with police (45%)
   • Victim felt that police would have not considered the sexual assault important enough (43%)
   • Victim felt that the offender would not be convicted or adequately punished (40%)
5. Young and vulnerable females are most likely to be sexually abused
6. All people are potential victims, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, education or physical description.
7. The effects of sexual assault are far-reaching and can severely impact individual’s emotional stability, employment, and ability to form and maintain adult relationships
8. Most statistics show approximately 2% or less of sexual assaults are reported as false reports

Information About Predators

1. 50% of sexual offenders are married or in long term relationships
2. Many predators appear to live highly normal/functioning lives and are otherwise upstanding citizens
3. Nearly 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 & 9 victims, at least 20% have 10 – 40 victims
4. An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetime
5. 92% of police reported sexual assaults on children involve the production and/or distribution of child pornography.
6. 46% of rapists who were released from prison were re-arrested within 3 years
7. It appears to be uncommon that victims choice of clothing does not increase or decrease their chances of being sexually assaulted, as most predators cannot remember what the victim was wearing
8. As many as 75% of sexual assaults involve some pre-planning by the predator
9. No cure for pedophilia has been developed, but there are therapies that can reduce the incidence of a person committing child sexual abuse.

Further Information

• Statistics Canada
• Canada Centre for Justice Statistics
• Uniform Crime Reporting Servey
• National Centre for Missing Persons & Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR)
• 2004 Harris & Hanson Study
• Government of Canada
• CSA Group Standards Research: Children’s Safety and Privacy in the Digital Age
• Justice Institute of British Columbia
• Alberta – Victim Services
• cybertip.ca
• raace.org
• sexassault.ca