Statistics Canada Article on Spousal Violence in Canada, 2019

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on the nature and prevalence of spousal violence based on the on the 2019 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety.

Among the highlights:

• Spousal violence in the provinces was significantly lower in 2019 than in 1999. While 3.5% of Canadians in the provinces with a current or former spouse or common-law partner experienced self-reported spousal violence in the five years preceding 2019, this was down from 7.5% 20 years prior, marking a 54% decrease. Between 2009 and 2019, spousal violence remained unchanged in the territories (10.2% versus 9.8%).
• In 2019, spousal violence continued to be significantly more common among women, with 4.2% of women experiencing such violence compared with 2.7% of men. This represented approximately 432,000 women and 279,000 men in Canada.
• Among victims of spousal violence, women were more likely than men to report each of the negative emotional impacts measured by the 2019 GSS on Victimization, while men were more likely than women to say they felt no emotional impact. In particular, it was more common for women than men to report feeling fearful (38% versus 11%) and fearing for their lives (29% versus 3.8%), and to report impacts consistent with suspected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (21% versus 9.8%).
• In all, the large majority (80%) of spousal victims said the violence they experienced was not reported to police. 

From the article:

"(...) 2019 GSS on Victimization, which has collected information on self-reported spousal violence every five years since 1999. In order to measure spousal violence, the GSS on Victimization asked those who are married or living common law, and those who are separated or divorced and have had contact with their former partner in the previous five years, about a series of violent behaviours in the context of their spousal relationship both in the past year and in the past five years. The GSS on Victimization asks the following:"

"Has your current or former spouse or partner done any of the following?

• Threatened to hit you with their fist or anything else that could have hurt you
• Thrown anything at you that could have hurt you
• Pushed, grabbed or shoved you in a way that could have hurt you
• Slapped you
• Kicked you, bit you or hit you with their fist
• Hit you with something that could have hurt you
• Beaten you
• Choked you
• Used or threatened to use a gun or knife on you
• Forced you into any unwanted sexual activity by threatening you, holding you down or hurting you in some way
• Subjected you to a sexual activity to which you were not able to consent because you were drugged, intoxicated, manipulated or forced in other ways than physically"