Statistics about sexual assault

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Overview of the prevalence of sexual violence

  • Girls and women account for most victims of sexual assault reported by the police, representing nearly 9 out of 10 victims.
  • Young people aged 12 to 19 are the age group with the highest proportion of victims of sexual assault reported by the police.
  • Boys and men account for almost all alleged perpetrators of sexual assault. Young people aged 12 to 17 are proportionally more likely than adults to be perpetrators.
  • Sexual assaults are most often committed by someone known to the victim, such as an intimate partner, a member of the immediate or extended family, an acquaintance, or a friend.
  • Sexual assaults most often occur in a residence or on private property, although they can also occur in a public place, such as an educational institution, a business, or outdoors.
  • The available statistics on the extent of sexual violence, including sexual assault, underestimate the actual situation, as it is not always disclosed in investigations or reported to and by the police.
  • In Canada, a small proportion (5 to 6%) of sexual assaults are reported to the police each year.

The terms sexual offence and sexual assault, rather than sexual violence, are used in this text to reflect accurately the reported data, mainly obtained from police services. For more information on data sources and methodology, see Sources and methodological considerations.

Who are the victims of sexual offenses reported by the police?

In Quebec, in 2022, 11,904 sexual offenses were reported by the police. Sexual assaults account for nearly two-thirds of sexual offenses, while other sexual offenses account for just over one-third1. These other sexual offenses include sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, luring a child, publication of intimate images without consent, and voyeurism

In 2022, women accounted for 89% of victims of sexual assault and 82% of victims of other sexual offenses. The rate of women victims of sexual assault reported by the police (157.5 per 100,000 women) is more than eight times higher than that of men (19.0 per 100,000 men). Among all age groups, young people aged 12 to 19 have the highest rates of sexual assault. Young people under the age of 18 account for almost all victims of other sexual offenses, which is explained by the fact that a large proportion of these offenses apply only to minor victims under the Criminal Code1.

How has the rate of sexual offenses changed over time?

In Quebec, from 2013 to 2022, the rate of sexual offenses more than doubled. It rose from 66.3 offenses per 100,000 people in 2013 to 139.2 offenses per 100,000 people in 20231.

Since 2017, police services have reported a significant increase in reports of sexual assault in Quebec and Canada. This increase can be explained, in part, by greater public awareness of this type of violence stemming from the #MeToo movement, which began in the fall of 2017, and changes made to certain police practices during this period (e.g., modification of the method for classifying reported cases)2,3.

Who are the perpetrators of sexual offenses?

In Quebec, in 2022, the majority of the perpetrators of sexual offenses are adults (71%), while young people aged 12 to 17 account for 29% of perpetrators. However, proportionally speaking, young people aged 12 to 17 have a rate of alleged perpetrators five times higher than that of adults (255.5 compared to 48.2 per 100,000 people)1.

The majority of alleged perpetrators of sexual offenses are men. They account for 96% of alleged perpetrators of sexual assault and 94% of alleged perpetrators of other sexual offenses. However, the proportion of male alleged perpetrators is slightly lower for the offense of publication of intimate images without consent (79%), with women accounting for 21% of alleged perpetrators for this offense1.

The majority of alleged perpetrators of sexual offenses (81%) are known to their victims. Only 9% were not known to their victims, while in 10% of cases, the relationship with the victim could not be established. More than a quarter (27%) of alleged perpetrators of sexual assault are a current or former intimate partner. In one in five cases (21%), they are an acquaintance of the victim, and in more than one in ten cases (12%), they are a friend. For other sexual offenses, the alleged perpetrators are more often a member of the immediate family (21%), an acquaintance (19%), or a current or former intimate partner (11%)1.

Where are sexual offenses committed?

In Quebec, in 2022, 70% of sexual offenses reported by the police were committed in a private residence (e.g., single-family home, apartment unit). Other locations include educational institutions (6%), commercial establishments (e.g., restaurants, shopping centres, gas stations) (6%), public facilities (e.g., sports centres and arenas, hospitals, prisons) (5%), public roads (e.g., highways, streets, bike paths) (3%), outdoor areas (e.g., parks, bodies of water) (3%), parking lots (1%), and public transportation (1%).

Proportion of sexual assaults are reported to the police

Only 5% to 6% of sexual assaults reported by Canadians aged 15 and older in the past year were reported to the police, according to data from two Canadian surveys conducted in 2018 and 20194,5. This makes it one of the least reported crimes to the police when compared to incidents of robbery and assault, which were reported in 47% and 36% of cases, respectively4.

Several factors may explain, at least in part, why sexual assault is one of the least reported crimes to the police. Sexual assaults rarely result in physical injury and are rarely committed with a weapon, whereas these two elements happen to be the most likely predictors of reporting a crime to the police6. Victims also cite several reasons, such as the perception that the incident is not serious enough, that it is a private matter, or that they do not want to be bothered with communicating with the police and going through the legal process. Many also raise concerns that the perpetrator will not be held accountable for the incident, that they will not be believed, or that they will be perceived as responsible for what happened to them6.

In Quebec, in 2022, nearly three-quarters (74%) of sexual offenses were reported to the police less than a year after they were committed. More than a third (38%) were reported less than seven days after they were committed1. Sexual assaults tended to be reported more quickly than other sexual offenses, on average 28 days after they were committed, compared to 42 days1.

Statistical sources

Statistics documenting the prevalence, trends, and characteristics of sexual assault come from three main sources:

  • Youth protection services
  • Police services
  • Population surveys

Youth protection services data are based on cases of sexual abuse of minors reported to youth protection services over a given period, usually one year. While these data provide information on the number of sexual abuse cases handled by youth protection services, they represent only a small proportion of all cases of sexual abuse against children and youth because not all sexual abuse cases are disclosed or reported to youth protection services and not all reported cases are desubstantiated. These data are derived primarily from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) and the Québec Incidence Study on situations investigated by child protective services (QIS).

Police data provides information on sexual offenses reported by police services. This data is collected and compiled by the Ministère de la Sécurité publique under the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR). To be included in the statistics, an offense must be detected, reported to a police force, and recorded by that force in accordance with UCR standards. Although these data provide information on the number of sexual offenses under the Criminal Code reported by these services, they represent only a small proportion of all sexual assaults experienced by the population, as not all of them are reported to the police.

Population survey data are usually based on large, representative samples of a population that provide a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of sexual assault, compared to cases reported to the police or other authorities7. These surveys usually ask respondents about their victimization experiences anonymously. However, it remains that some sexual assaults are not reported in surveys, and that certain vulnerable populations are sometimes underrepresented, leading to an underestimation of the actual prevalence7. These data are derived from national surveys, such as the General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization and the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS), and from certain scientific studies.

Figure 1 - Prevalence of sexual assault according to different data sources

*In Quebec, under the Multi-sectoral Agreement concerning children who are victims of sexual abuse or physical ill-treatment, or whose physical health is threatened by the lack of appropriate care, the police inform the Director of Youth Protection when they receive a report of situations involving the sexual abuse of minors, and vice versa. 

Source: Baril, K. & J. Laforest (2018). Chapitre 3: Les agressions sexuelles, in Rapport québécois sur la violence et la santé, Montréal, p. 56‑95. Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (Based on: Jewkes, R., P. Sen & C. Garcia-Moreno (2002). Sexual violence. In E. G. Krug, L. L. Dalhberg, A. Z. Mercy, & R. Lozano-Ascencio [eds.], World report on violence and health. P.147-181, Geneva: World Health Organization (Retrieved on April 19, 2022)).

For more information

References

  1. Ministère de la Sécurité publique (2024). Criminalité au Québec - Infractions sexuelles en 2022, Ministère de la Sécurité publique.
  2. Ministère de la Sécurité publique (2017). Criminalité au Québec - Infractions sexuelles en 2017, Québec, Ministère de la Sécurité publique.
  3. Statistique Canada (2018). Les agressions sexuelles déclarées par la police au Canada avant et après le mouvement #MoiAussi, 2016 et 2017, Statistique Canada, « Juristat ».
  4. Cotter, A. (2021). La victimisation criminelle au Canada, 2019, « Juristat ».
  5. Cotter, A., et L. Savage (2019). La violence fondée sur le sexe et les comportements sexuels non désirés au Canada, 2018 : Premiers résultats découlant de l’Enquête sur la sécurité dans les espaces publics et privés, Statistique Canada, « Juristat ».
  6. Cotter, A. (2021). La victimisation criminelle au Canada, 2019, Statistique Canada, « Juristat ».
  7. Organisation mondiale de la Santé, et London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2012). Prévenir la violence exercée par des partenaires intimes et la violence sexuelle contre les femmes : Intervenir et produire des données, Genève, Organisation mondiale de la Santé.

Author: Maude Lachapelle, Scientific Advisor, INSPQ 
Contributor: Dominique Gagné, Scientific Advisor, INSPQ

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