Statistics Canada says rates of police-reported family violence against children and youth, intimate partners, and seniors all rose in 2019. The overall rate of police-reported family violence increased for the third consecutive year, rising 13% over this period. This follows a long span of decline, with the rate falling by almost one-fifth from 2009 to 2016.
The rate of police-reported family violence was highest in Saskatchewan at 519 per 100,000 population. Rates were lowest in Ontario at 173.
Stats Canada says the high rate here is similar to the police-reported crime rate in general.
The organization says the latest annual police-reported data on family violence predates the pandemic, and is critical in establishing a baseline for future analysis of how COVID-19 restrictions impacted Canadian families.
(CJWW)
