Statistics

The following statistics are the findings of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, the first nation-wide study to examine the incidence of reported child abuse in Canada.

• 93% of alleged perpetrators are known to their child victims.

• 69% of sexual abuse cases involved girls and 31% involved boys. 

• 60% of physical abuse cases involved boys and 40% involved girls. 

• 69% of physical abuse cases resulted from inappropriate punishment. 

• Failure to supervise children resulting in physical harm accounted for 48% of neglect cases.

• Exposure to family violence was the most common form of emotional abuse (58% of substantiated cases).

• It is estimated that 2-6 children in every Canadian school classroom have witnessed some   form of woman abuse in the home over the past year. Children who have witnessed family violence often experience the same types of emotional and behavioural problems experienced by children who have been abused themselves.

• In Canada, between April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006, approximately 106,000 women and children were admitted to shelters, most often to escape abuse.

• Approximately 100 child homicides occur each year in Canada. 

• Between 1975 and 2004, 86% of victims under the age of 18 were killed by a parent. 

• In 4.4% of the spousal homicides in Canada in 2004, children of the perpetrators were also killed. 

• Canadian police estimate that there are more than 100,000 websites that contain thousands of child abuse images. 

• 50% of collected images between 2000 and 2001 were of children aged 5 or younger. 

• 50% of all child sexual abuse images (child pornography) is made by family members.  

• Although there are over one million child sexual abuse images in circulation over the Internet, with approximately 100,000 different child victims, only about 800 children worldwide have been identified.

The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies reports that a significant barrier to protecting children is the large number of individuals who would not report a suspicion of abuse.12   54% of individuals surveyed would not report suspected signs of child abuse. 55% of individuals said that they would find it difficult to report if the situation involved someone they knew well. While 48% of respondents said that it would be easier to report a casual acquaintance, more than 44% felt they would still be hesitant to make a report.     DON’T BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!