Victims of police-reported intimate partner violence 2017 to 2018

Victims of police-reported intimate partner violence, by sex of victim and province.

As with violent crime overall, young Canadians were most often the victim of intimate partner violence. Women and men in their late 20s and early 30s had the highest rates of intimate partner violent victimization per 100,000 population, followed closely by those aged 15 to 24 years. Rates generally declined with increasing age and were higher for women in every age group.

Those aged 25 to 34 years remained at highest risk. However the second highest risk of being killed by their intimate partner was for those in their late thirties to early forties. This was followed by those aged 45 to 54. The youngest age-cohort, those aged 15 to 24, experienced a rate of intimate partner homicide that was similar to older Canadians.

According to police-reported data, there were clear variations between spousal and dating violence, with victims of spousal violence being younger than dating violence victims. In particular, rates of spousal violence, including spousal homicide, were highest among women and men aged 15 to 24, with rates falling with each increasing age cohort.

By contrast, Canadians aged 25 to 34, along with those aged 35 to 44, experienced the highest overall rates of dating violence per 100,000 unmarried persons.

As with spousal violence overall, the actual number of individuals killed by a current spouse was higher than those killed by a legally separated spouse. However, when expressed as a rate, the prevalence of spousal homicide was highest after marital separation, though only for women.

In particular, over the past five years from 2007 to 2011, a woman's risk of being killed by a legally separated spouse was nearly six times higher than their risk from a legally married spouse. Jealousy of the female victim was more often a factor in homicides of legally separated spouses (25%) over this period, compared to homicides involving women married at the time of the incident (12%). That said, frustration was the leading motive behind both (47% and 41%).
ates of intimate partner violence are highest among women, young people, and those in dating relationships. This is consistent with previous findings. Individuals in certain forms of intimate partner relationships were at increased risk of being killed. For instance, individuals in common-law unions were more likely to be killed than their legally married counterparts. For women, those legally separated from their spouse were more likely to be killed than those in intact marriages.

Recent rates of intimate partner homicides have been relatively stable, despite an increase in intimate partner homicides against women between 2010 and 2011. Meanwhile, the most common type of offence against intimate partners – common assault - has been declining in the last few years. This decrease was driven by a drop in assaults against women, as rates against men held steady over the same period.[/color]

NOTE: Intimate partner violence refers to violence committed by legally married, separated, divorced, opposite-and same-sex common-law, dating partners (current and previous), and other intimate partners. Intimate partner category includes victims aged 15 to 89. Excludes incidents where the sex and/or age of the victim was unknown. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100 000 population.