A NUMERICAL PORTRAIT OF CANADIAN SEXUAL ASSAULT
Written by Annie O’Dell
460,000
The number of sexual assaults in one year
Reported to a survey
15,200
The number of sexual assaults in one year Reported to the police
5,544
How many sexual assault charges were laid in one year
2,824
How many sexual assault charges were prosecuted in one year
1991
The year the Supreme Court ruled that including a complainant’s sexual history
Was necessary to ensure a fair trial
1983
The year a man could no longer rape
His wife
273.1(1)
The article in the Criminal Code
That defines consent
97
The percentage of police-reported sexual assaults
With a male offender
83
The percentage of women with disabilities who have been sexually assaulted
80
The percentage of women who know their offenders
60
The percentage of college-aged men who admitted they would sexually assault
If they would not get caught
25
The percentage of women who will be sexually assaulted
And admit it
17
Someone is sexually assaulted in Canada
Every 17 minutes
16
The age of consent
10
The percentage of men who will be sexually assaulted
And admit it
8
The percentage of sexual assaults against adult men
Reported to the police
6
The percentage of all sexual assaults
Reported to the police
3
The number of times Ewanchuk was convicted of rape
Before R v Ewanchuk
2
The average sentence on a sexual assault conviction
In years
0.3
The percentage of sexual assaults that end In conviction
References:
Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46.
R v Ewanchuk, [1990] 1 SCR 330.
R v Seaboyer, [1991] 2 SCR 577.
Kirk Makin, “How Canada’s Sex-Assault Laws Violate Rape Victims” The Globe and Mail (Oct 05, 2013) online: <http://www. theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ho-w-canadas-sex-assault- laws-violate-rape-victims/article14705289/?page=all>.
“Ewanchuk Sentenced to One Year for Sex Assault” CBC (Oct 20, 2000) online: <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ewanchuk- sentenced-to-one-year-for-sex-assault-1.230217>.
Holly Johnson, “Limits of a Criminal Justice Response: Trends in Police and Court Processing of Sexual Assault” in Elizabeth A. Sheehy, ed., Sexual Assault in Canada: Law, Legal Practice and Women’s Activism (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2012) 613-34.
SACHA Sexual Assault Centre, “Sexual Assault Statistics”, online:<http://sacha.ca/fact-sheets/statistics>.
Toronto Police Service, “Sex Crimes Unit: Investigative Section – Sexual Assault Squad”, online: <http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/ sexcrimes/sas/statistics.php>.