Learn more about family violence, including rates, impacts and risks

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• Family violence in general
• Intimate partner violence
• Child maltreatment
• Elder abuse
• Violence against Indigenous peoples
• Forced marriage, "honour"-related and other harmful practices
• Addressing risk factors among youth
• Engaging men and boys to prevent family violence
• Related links

Family violence in general

Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2018 (2019)
Statistics Canada
This report provides a statistical profile of family violence in Canada using 2018 data.

Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2017 (2018)
Statistics Canada
This report provides a statistical profile of family violence in Canada using 2017 data.

Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2016 (2018)
Statistics Canada
This report provides a statistical profile of family violence in Canada using 2016 data.

Family Violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2015 (2017)
Statistics Canada
This report provides a statistical profile of family violence in Canada using 2015 data.

Shelters for abused women in Canada, 2014 (2014)
Statistics Canada
This report provides statistical information on the use of shelters for abused women in Canada based on 2014 data.

Shelters for abused women in Canada, 2012 (2012)
Statistics Canada
This report provides statistical information on the use of shelters for abused women in Canada based on 2012 data.

Shelters for abused women in Canada, 2010 (2011)
Statistics Canada
This report provides statistical information on the use of shelters for abused women in Canada based on 2010 data.

Making the links in family violence Cases: Collaboration among the family, child protection and criminal justice systems (2013)
Department of Justice Canada
This report examines how the family, child protection, and criminal sectors of the justice system interact in relation to family violence and identifies some of the challenges facing litigants grappling with family violence and simultaneously navigating different sectors of the justice system. This report also highlights selected tools, protocols, and practices that have been implemented to address these issues in Canada or elsewhere.

Health Impacts of Violent Victimization on Women and their Children (2013)
Department of Justice Canada
This report examines the consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women, and child witnessing of IPV, emphasizing their association with specific physical and mental health outcomes, including health-related quality of life and health risk behaviours.

Violent victimization of Aboriginal women in the Canadian provinces, 2009 (2011)
Statistics Canada
This report provides statistical information on the violent victimization of Aboriginal women in Canada based on 2009 data.

Intimate partner violence

Intimate Partner Violence in a Pandemic: COVID-19-Related Controlling Behaviours (2020)
Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children
This infographic shares how the control and intimidation tactics already used by partners who cause harm, can be compounded by their use of COVID-19-related controlling behaviours.

Sexual Violence and COVID-19 (2020)
Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children
This infographic shares some of the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting sexual violence.

Identifying and Responding to Intimate Partner Violence (2016) (PDF document)
PreVAiL Research Network
This research brief discusses what intimate partner violence (IPV) is and its health consequences.  It also discusses identifying IPV, interventions, policies and best practices for IPV based on current evidence.

Identifying and Responding to Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (2016) (PDF document)
PreVAiL Research Network
This research brief discusses children's exposure to intimate partner violence (CE-IPV) and its health consequences. It also discusses identifying CE-IPV, interventions, policies and best practices for CE-IPV based on current evidence.

Measuring violence against women: Statistical trends (2013)
Statistics Canada
This report includes data on violence against women in Canada.

An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009 (2012)
Department of Justice Canada
This report outlines the economic impact of all spousal violence that occurred in 2009.

Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence (2013)
World Health Organization
The report presents the first global systematic review of scientific data on the prevalence of two forms of violence against women: violence by an intimate partner (intimate partner violence) and sexual violence by someone other than a partner (non-partner sexual violence).

Women and the criminal justice system (2011)
Statistics Canada
This report examines the involvement of women and girls in the criminal justice system to gain a better understanding of the scope of issues related to women and the criminal justice system by looking at the incidence and experience of crime against women, as well as women as offenders.

Intimate Partner Violence & Alcohol Fact Sheet (2006)
World Health Organization
This fact sheet discusses intimate partner violence (IPV) and the links between alcohol use and the magnitude of alcohol-related IPV. It also includes information about risk factors, the impact and prevention for alcohol-related IPV.

Child maltreatment

Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment (2014) (PDF document)
PreVAiL Research Network
This research brief describes the prevalence and incidence of child maltreatment in Canada. It includes the effects of child maltreatment, risk indicators, a prevention framework, and information about preventing different types of child maltreatment.

Beyond appearances: Brief on the main issues facing girls in Canada (2013) (PDF document)
Girls Action Foundation
This issue brief provides an overview of the main issues facing girls in Canada. Key areas include health, violence, education, civic participation and leadership of girls and young women, with particular consideration to Indigenous, rural, immigrant and racialized girls' issues.

Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008: Major Findings (2010)
Public Health Agency of Canada
The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008 (CIS-2008) is the third nation-wide study to examine the incidence of reported child maltreatment and the characteristics of the children and families investigated by child welfare. This report provides major findings from 2008 data.

Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2003: Major Findings (2005)
Public Health Agency of Canada
This report presents the major findings of the second cycle of the Canadian Incidence Study of
Reported Child Abuse and Neglect based on 2003 data.

Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence (2006)
World Health Organization
This guide combines the accumulated expertise of both organizations and provides the necessary tools and information to governments, civil society and international organizations in their efforts to prevent and respond to violence against children. It includes the consequences of child maltreatment, case-based information, prevention of child maltreatment, and services for affected children and families.

Better to Build a Child than Fix an Adult: A report on the predictors of risk for youth who proceed to the adult justice system and the programs that Work to reduce that likelihood (2006)
Public Safety Canada
This report examines the long-term impact of early childhood and adolescent experiences on later adult outcomes.

Elder abuse

An empirical examination of elder abuse: A review of files from the Elder Abuse Section of the Ottawa Police Service (2013)
Department of Justice Canada
The purpose of this study was to review case files from the Elder Abuse Section in order to examine the extent and nature of incidents involving elderly victims that are reported to the police.

Exploring the Role of Elder Mediation in the Prevention of Elder Abuse Final report (2012)
Department of Justice Canada
The scope of this report is to convey information available on the use of elder mediation involving seniors and some models used (or proposed) within Canada and internationally.

Victimization of older Canadians, 2009 (2012)
Statistics Canada
Using data from the 2009 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization, this article examines trends in the victimization of older Canadians, namely those aged 55 and older living in the 10 provinces.

Crime and abuse against seniors: A review of the research literature with special reference to the Canadian situation (2009)
Department of Justice Canada
This report addresses the issue of elder abuse in Canada and internationally, including the prevalence of abuse, perpetrator and victim characteristics, crimes posing the greatest threat to seniors and gaps in research.

Violence against Indigenous peoples

Violent victimization of Aboriginal women in the Canadian provinces, 2009 (2011)
Statistics Canada
Using GSS data from 2009, this article looks at the prevalence and nature of self-reported violence against Aboriginal women in the ten provinces.

Forced marriage, "honour"-related and other harmful practices

Who, if, when to marry: the incidence of forced marriage in Ontario (2013) (PDF document)
South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
This report includes demographic information about forced marriage clients, and substantive data about the drivers for forced marriage, the barriers clients face, and the challenges service providers confront in serving forced marriage clients.

Understanding and addressing violence against women: Femicide (2012) (PDF document)
World Health Organization
This document identifies the different types of femicide, risk factors for increasing femicide, as well as suggestions for ways to approach ending femicide.

Preliminary Examination of so-called "Honour Killings" in Canada (2010)
Department of Justice Canada
This document provides information about the historical context of honour killings and examines the psychopathology involved in the criminal acts committed.

Addressing risk factors among youth

Identification and operationalization of the major risk factors for antisocial and delinquent behaviour among children and youth (2012)
Public Safety Canada
This report provides a comprehensive review of the literature on risk factors for antisocial and delinquent behaviour in children and youth and the major risk factors associated with these outcomes.

Assessing the risk of domestic violence offenders (2011)
Public Safety Canada
This research summary highlights the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) guide and its policy implications for evaluating risk of domestic violence offenders.

Families, youth and delinquency: The state of knowledge, and family-based juvenile delinquency prevention programs (2009)
Public Safety Canada
This paper surveys knowledge about risk and protective factors associated with families. It also describes programs that aim to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency in the family environment.

Family-based risk and protective factors and their effects on juvenile delinquency: What do we know? (2008)
Public Safety Canada
This document discusses risk factors associated with family dynamic and functioning, ineffective parental behaviour, parental criminality, risk factors associated with family characteristics, parental substance abuse, and protective factors.

Youth gang involvement: What are the risk factors? (2007)
Public Safety Canada
This summary provides information about individual, peer, school, family and community risk factors associated with gang involvement.

Engaging men and boys to prevent family violence

Half the equation: Why fathers are just as important as mothers in preventing domestic violence (2014)
SH!FT: The project to end domestic violence, University of Calgary
This issue brief highlights the value of fathers in preventing domestic violence for future generations, and illustrate the unique and important role they play in the lives of their children.

Promoting positive father involvement: A strategy to prevent intimate partner violence (2013)
SH!FT: The project to end domestic violence, University of Calgary
This research paper focuses on positive father involvement as an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) prevention strategy, that is, a strategy to prevent IPV before those behaviors develop in the next generation. It also provides a rationale for new investments in positive father involvement strategies including specific recommendations in the areas of research, policy, and programming.

Engaging men and boys to reduce and prevent gender-based violence (2011) (PDF document) White Ribbon Campaign The paper reviews the development of work with men and boys to end gender-based violence in Canada and around the world. It examines root causes; the socialization of men, power and patriarchy, masculinities, gender inequality and the links to all forms of violence against women.  It also illustrates promising strategies, best practices, and effective frameworks for engaging men and boys in the effort to reduce and prevent gender-based violence.