Is violence against women a serious issue in Canada?
• 51% of women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.7 • One to two women are murdered by a current or former partner each week in Canada.8 • Spousal violence makes up the single largest category of convictions involving violent offences in non-specialized adult courts in Canada over the five-year period 1997/98 to 2001/02. Over 90% of offenders were male.9 • 36% of female victims of spousal violence and less than 10% of victims of sexual assault reported these crimes to the police in 2004.10 • Physical and sexual abuse costs Canada over $4 billion each year (factoring into account social services, criminal justice, lost employment days and health care interventions).11 • Violence against women occurs across all ethnic, racial, religious, age, social and economic groups. However, some women are more vulnerable and more likely to experience violence, including women with disabilities, geographically isolated women, young wome
