Prevalence of sexual violence experienced in adulthood

What is the prevalence of sexual violence experienced since the age of 15 and in adulthood?

Population data on sexual violence experienced since the age 15 and in the past year in various settings

In Quebec, a 2018 survey revealed that 25% of women and 6% of men aged 15 and older reported having experienced at least one sexual assault by someone other than an intimate partner since the age of 15. This represents 15% of the Quebec population¹. Unwanted sexual touching was the most common form of sexual assault, followed by forced and unwanted sexual activities (e.g., being threatened, held down, or injured), then sexual activities to which the person could not consent (e.g., being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or manipulated or coerced in ways other than physically)¹.

Population data on sexual violence experienced in the past year in various settings

Public spaces

Sexual violence can occur in public places (e.g., streets, public transportation, shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, bars) and manifest itself in various forms of unwanted sexual behaviour. In Quebec, in 2018, nearly a quarter of women aged 15 and over (24%) reported having experienced at least one such behaviour in the past year, compared to less than one in ten men (9%). Among women, unwanted sexual attention (e.g., comments, whistling, gestures, or body language) was the most reported behaviour (19%), followed by unwanted touching (9%) and comments about gender-related behaviour (9%). Among men, the most common behaviours were sexual attention (3.5%), indecent exposure (3.5%), and comments about gender-related behaviour (3%). Women aged 15 to 29 (49%) were proportionally more likely to report these behaviours than women aged 30 and over (18%)².

Online

Unwanted sexual behaviour can also occur online or over the phone. In Quebec, in 2018, 15% of women and 12% of men aged 15 and over had experienced at least one instance of unwanted online behaviour in the past year. Women aged 15 to 29 experienced it in greater proportions (26%) than those aged 30 and over (11%). This behaviour included receiving or being the target of threatening or aggressive online messages, being threatened with the publication of intimate images, and receiving unsolicited sexually suggestive images or messages. One in ten women reported receiving unsolicited sexually explicit content in the past year².

In the workplace

In Quebec, in 2018, a quarter of women (25%) and nearly one in seven men (13%) aged 15 and over reported having experienced at least one instance of unwanted sexual behaviour at work in the 12 months prior to the survey. The most reported behaviours were sexual jokes (17% of women and 9% of men), followed by sexual attention (12% of women and 3% of men), touching (9% of women and 2% of men), and comments about gender-related behaviour (5.5% of women and 3% of men). Women aged 15 to 29 were proportionally more likely to report such behaviour than those aged 30 and over (34% compared to 21%)².

Population data on sexual violence experienced in adulthood in intimate relationships

In Quebec, in 2021-2022, 17% of women aged 18 and over who had been in an intimate relationship had experienced sexual violence in this context in their lifetime. Among men, the proportion was 3.4%¹⁶.

Police data on sexual assaults and other sexual offenses against adults

In Quebec, in 2022, adults aged 18 and over accounted for just over half (52%) of victims of sexual assault reported by the police, for a total of 3,931 offenses. The vast majority of incidents were categorized as sexual assault (3,844 offenses), while very few were with a weapon and aggravated (66 and 21 offenses, respectively)⁴.

For the same period, the age groups with the highest rates of sexual assault among adults were 18 to 19-year-olds and 20 to 24-year-olds (321 and 173 per 100,000 people). The average rate of sexual assault among all persons aged 18 and older was 55 per 100,000 persons⁴.

Police data are useful for determining the number of sexual offenses under the Criminal Code reported by these services. However, they represent only a small proportion of the actual prevalence of sexual violence experienced by the population, since these offenses are rarely reported to the police.

What is the prevalence of sexual violence among certain population groups?

Sexually and gender diverse people

Sexually and gender diverse people are vastly overrepresented among victims of sexual violence. They are at greater risk of experiencing sexual violence during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood compared to heterosexual or cisgender people.

In Quebec, in 2018, 33% of sexually diverse individuals (25% of lesbian or gay people and 40% of bisexual or pansexual people) reported having been victims of sexual violence since the age of 15, compared to 15% of heterosexual individuals. Sexually diverse women were proportionally more likely to report this (43%) than heterosexual women (24%). The same trend was observed among sexually diverse men (25%) compared to heterosexual men (5%)⁵. In Canada, transgender and non-binary individuals also reported experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15 more often than cisgender individuals (24% compared to 19%)⁶.

Several factors related to the context in which violence occurs contribute to the overrepresentation of sexually and gender diverse people among victims of sexual violence, such as social norms that value heterosexual and cisgender people, homophobic, transphobic, and negative attitudes toward bisexuality, or intolerance and discrimination toward sexually and gender diverse people⁷.

Indigenous people

Indigenous people, particularly women and girls, are overrepresented among victims of sexual violence. They are also at greater risk of experiencing sexual violence in childhood and adulthood than non-Indigenous people.

In Canada, in 2018, nearly one-third of Indigenous people (31%) reported having been victims of sexual violence since the age of 15, compared to 21% of non-Indigenous people⁸. More specifically, 45% of First Nations women, 44% of Métis women, and 26% of Inuit women reported this, compared to 30% of non-Indigenous women. Among men, 29% of First Nations men, 30% of Métis men, and 17% of Inuit men reported experiencing sexual violence, compared to 19% of non-Indigenous men⁵.

Several historical, social, and family factors may partly explain this overrepresentation of Indigenous people among victims of sexual violence. Indigenous identity alone does not increase the risk of being a victim of sexual violence when other variables are considered, such as young age, harsh parenting practices, and experiences of physical or sexual violence during childhood⁹. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that sexual violence against Indigenous people, especially women, girls, and sexually and gender diverse people, is part of a broader context of violence and that, like other forms of violence committed against this group, it has its roots in a colonialist historical context marked by racism, discrimination, and economic, social, and political marginalization^10,11.

Persons with a disability

People with a disability report higher rates of sexual violence than people without disabilities. In Quebec, in 2018, 22% of people with disabilities reported having been victims of sexual violence since the age of 15, compared to 12% of people without disabilities. The proportion of victims among women with disabilities (32%) was higher than that among men with disabilities (10%) and women and men without disabilities (21% and 4%, respectively)⁵.

Having a disability increases the likelihood of experiencing sexual violence, regardless of age, level of education, income, employment status, and experiences of physical or sexual violence during childhood⁵.

Moreover, individuals who have multiple social identities or are subject to multiple factors of discrimination may be more likely to experience sexual violence. For example, nearly three-quarters (72%) of Indigenous people with physical, cognitive, or mental health disabilities have experienced sexual or physical violence since the age of 15, compared to 52% of Indigenous people without disabilities and 54% of non-Indigenous people with disabilities⁸.

Immigrants or members of visible minorities

In Canada, in 2018, immigrants or members of visible minorities were proportionally less likely to report experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15 than people who did not belong to these groups⁵.

Approximately 10% of visible minorities and 12% of immigrants reported sexual violence, compared to 16% of people who did not belong to these groups. The proportions of victims among women from visible minorities (18%) and immigrant backgrounds (20%) were lower than those among women not belonging to these groups (26% and 25%, respectively)⁵. Prevalence rates were similar for immigrant men (5%) and non-immigrant men (6%). Data on men from visible minorities were not available due to confidentiality provisions under the Statistics Act, according to Statistics Canada⁵.

These statistics should be interpreted with caution. Visible minorities are proportionally more likely than non-visible minorities not to speak French or English. People who speak neither language were excluded from the survey¹. Visible minorities and immigrants may also be less comfortable reporting their experiences of victimization, whether in a survey or to the police, for a variety of reasons. For example, they may not yet be aware of their rights, fear being reported to immigration authorities and deported from the country, fear that their community will be stigmatized, or believe that their experiences of violence should remain private¹.

Postsecondary students 

In Quebec, according to two surveys conducted among people working or studying at CEGEP (2019) or university (2016), more than one-third of the college student population and people working or studying at university reported having experienced at least one form of sexual violence committed by another person studying or working at the same institution^12,13.

In Quebec, according to two surveys conducted among people working or studying at CEGEP (2019) or university (2016), more than one-third of the college student population and people working or studying at university reported having experienced at least one form of sexual violence committed by another person studying or working at the same institution^12,13.

Who are the perpetrators of sexual assault against adults?

In Canada, in 2018, 44% of women who reported being sexually assaulted by someone other than an intimate partner in the year preceding the survey reported that the perpetrator was a friend or acquaintance, according to the SSPPS. In another 44% of cases, the perpetrator was someone known only by sight or unknown¹.

The vast majority of female victims (95%) reported that the sexual assault was committed by a man. Just over half of male victims (56%) reported that a woman was responsible. The majority (91%) of sexual assaults reported by both women and men were committed by a single person¹.

What proportion of sexual assaults are reported to the police?

Only 5% of the most serious sexual assaults reported by women aged 15 and older in the past year were reported to the police in Canada in 2018, according to the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS)¹. The 2019 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization found a similar result, with only 6% of sexual assaults reported by Canadians aged 15 and older in the year preceding the survey being reported to the police, making it the most underreported crime among all those measured by the survey. This is significantly lower than the proportion of reports of robbery (47%) and assault (36%)³.

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