Justice Canada Report on Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009

The most recent issue of the Weekly Checklist of Canadian Government Publications lists a 2012 study entitled An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009. It was published by Justice Canada:

"The more Canadians understand about the costly and serious impact of spousal violence, the better prepared we are to continue efforts to prevent it and where it does occur, to protect and assist victims, to hold perpetrators accountable, and to take measures to break the cycle of violence. Estimating the economic impact of a social phenomenon such as spousal violence, a process known as costing, is a way to measure both the tangible and intangible impacts of that phenomenon. By placing a dollar value on the impact, a common unit of measurement is provided. The dollar value for the economic impact of spousal violence can then be compared to the corresponding estimates of other social phenomena. Proponents of costing contend that the understanding of economic impacts and the comparison of different social issues in the same units are important to policymakers, activists, social workers, and the public by assisting in the proper allocation of resources, and in evaluating the effectiveness of programs (...)"

"This is the first study which provides a comprehensive estimate of the economic impact (costs) of spousal violence in Canada. All incidents of spousal violence that were reported in 2009 are taken into account, and all costs that could be reasonably attributed to these incidents are included, whether the costs were realized in 2009 or at some later date."

"The Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2 (UCR2) reports that 46,918 spousal violence incidents were brought to the attention of police in 2009, 81% involving female victims and 19% involving male victims. According to the 2009 General Social Survey, Cycle 23, Victimization (GSS), 335,697 Canadians were victims of 942,000 spousal violence incidents in 2009; 54% of the victims were female, and 46% of the victims were male. More victims were victimized by current spouses (69%) than by ex-spouses (31%)."

"Including the impact borne by the justice system, the impact borne by primary victims, and the impact borne by third parties and others, the total economic impact of spousal violence in Canada in 2009 is estimated at $7.4 billion, amounting to $220 per Canadian."

"The justice system bore 7.3% ($545.2 million) of the total economic impact, with $320.1 million borne by the criminal justice system (police, court, prosecution, legal aid, and correctional services) and $225.1 million borne by the civil justice system (civil protection orders, divorce and separation, and the child protection system)."

"Victim costs ($6.0 billion) accounted for the largest proportion (80.7%) of the total economic impact for cost items such as medical attention, lost wages, lost education, the value of stolen/damaged property, and pain and suffering."

"Third-party costs ($889.9 million) represented 12.0% of the total costs. Substantial costs included social service operation costs ($410.6 million), losses to employers ($77.9 million), the negative impact on children exposed to spousal violence ($235.2 million), and other government expenditures ($116.3 million)."

"The majority ($5.5 billion) of the economic impact of spousal violence in 2009 were in the form of intangible costs borne by victims (pain and suffering and loss of life) and their family members (loss of affection and enjoyment)."

"For the $1.7 billion of tangible costs (excluding lost future income of children), the state paid 63.8%, individuals (mainly victims) paid 29.4%, and the private sector paid 6.9%."

"Due to data unavailability and the limitations of existing data in many areas of research, the estimate of $7.4 billion is a conservative estimate."

The Weekly Checklist includes a listing of titles made available by the Parliament of Canada, federal departments, and Statistics Canada to the Depository Services Program for distribution to a network of Depository Libraries in Canada and abroad.