Of all police-reported violent crime in 2011, around a quarter of it involved violence against family members, Statistics Canada says in a new report.
There were nearly 95,000 incidents of family violence in 2011 that were reported to police. The report notes about half of the victims were in a current or previous spousal relationship with the accused, including both common-law and legally married partnerships.
While most of the victims were women, 20 per cent were male spouses. Almost one in five of the victims were children of the accused. Another 13 per cent were extended family members, 11 per cent were siblings and 9 per cent were parents, often in their senior years.
Like other forms of police-reported crime, violence against family members appears to be declining. In 2011, the rate of family homicides per million was 47 per cent lower than in 1981. Rates of physical assault against family members fell by six per cent since 2009 and sexual assault fell by five per cent.
The most frequent type of family violence reported to police in 2011 was common assault, which includes pushing, slapping and punching, without the use of weapon and without serious physical injury.
Most often, victims of family violence did not suffer any physical injury (54%), while 44 per cent of victims did not require treatment from medical personnel, only first aid . Around two per cent were treated for injuries at the scene or taken to a medical facility. Less than 1 per cent of family violence victims died of their injuries.
Spousal homicides, while relatively rare, were more prevalent against those in common-law relationships. In fact, over a five-year period, women were four times more likely to be killed by their common-law partner than their legally married spouse.
Men, in turn, were 10 times as likely to be killed by their common-law partner as opposed to their legally married spouse.
Statistics Canada compiled the report by reviewing police-reported data involving incidents reported to and substantiated by police. In 2011, police laid charges in 56 per cent of incidents involving family members.
Charges were more commonly laid when the victim was female rather than male (61 per cent versus 46 per cent).
The report does not include incidents that do not reach the attention of police. Using self-reported victimization surveys, the report authors estimate that in 2009, about two-thirds of all criminal victimizations were not reported to police.
