Statistics

Severity

  • One in four (1 in 4) Canadian women suffer some form of abuse at the hands of their partners.
  • Women are at greatest risk of increased violence – or murder – at the hands of their partner during the time just before or after they leave an abusive relationship.
  • Spousal homicide accounts for 15% of all homicides in Canada. A woman is nine times more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner than by a stranger. *
  • Domestic abuse remains an immensely under-reported crime: it is estimated that just 25% of domestic violence incidents are reported.

Effects on Children:

  • Approximately 40% of intimate partner violence incidents begin during a woman’s first pregnancy.
  • Children are present and witness the abuse in 80% of intimate partner violence cases.
  • Children that grow up watching their mother experience abuse are likely to deal with the effect that last well into adulthood.  Some of the long-term effects that children experience after witnessing violence may include depression, health problems and/or repeating abusive patterns.
  • Children who witness woman abuse frequently experience post traumatic stress disorder.

The Cost of Domestic Violence

  • The costs associated with physical and sexual violence against women in Canada total over $4.2 billion each year. This includes medical fees, police services, social agencies, income assistance, unemployment, the justice system, educational support and temporary housing.
  • The costs of operating women’s shelters in Canada total more than $135 million each year.

* Click here to open OAITH’s most recent femicide list –
Ontario women murdered during the period November 26th 2022 to November 25th 2023.