Statistics Canada Article on Violence against Men and Boys in Canada, 2021

Statistics Canada has published an article in its Juristat publication on Victimization of men and boys in Canada, 2021. 

It outlines trends and characteristics of violence against men and boys using police-reported data:

"In recent years, there have been several calls to action to address and prevent violence against women, with the acknowledgement that women experience certain forms of violence, within particular relationships, disproportionately. This has resulted in the recognition of violence against women as a public health concern requiring immediate attention. The Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics has released many gender-based violence reports which highlight the victimization of women and girls and, while corresponding data for men and boys is shown comparatively, they have typically not been the focus of analysis. As a result, there is a gap in understanding the trends and characteristics associated with violence against men and boys in Canada and internationally. This gap is important to fill considering that police-reported data in Canada have consistently shown similarity in violent victimization rates between men and women (...), yet the circumstances and risk factors surrounding such victimization often differ."

Among the highlights:

•  In 2021, 192,413 men and boys were victims of police-reported violent crime in Canada, representing a rate of 1,015 victims per 100,000 male population and accounting for just under half (46%) of all victims of violent crime reported to police.
• Between 2016 and 2021, the rate of victimization of men and boys increased 12%, with increases observed for most age groups. The largest increase was documented among men aged 45 and older (+22%).
• The rate of victimization against men and boys was higher in almost all provincial rural areas, driven by violence in the rural North. The rate of violent victimization against men and boys in the rural North was three times higher than the rate in the rural South and nearly four times higher than in urban areas.
• Compared to women and girls, men and boys experienced higher rates of more severe forms of victimization: homicide, other violations causing death and attempted murder, assault level 2, robbery, assault level 3 and extortion. Sexual assault was a notable exception to this trend.
• Physical force was used against half (51%) of all male victims and an additional 30% experienced victimization with a weapon present.
• In 2021, of those whose violent victimization was reported to police, eight in ten (79%) men and boys were victimized by someone outside the family. Boys aged 11 and younger were most often victimized by a family member (59%) but, with increasing age, proportionately more males were victimized by a non-family member.
• Between 2011 and 2021, the homicide rate among men and boys increased 22%, driven largely by the homicide of men aged 25 and older (+32%).
• Males aged 12 and older were most commonly killed by someone outside the family, such as by a friend, stranger or acquaintance.