Victims of GBV Often Don’t Report to the Police

GBV, especially sexual assault, is a significantly under-reported crime. Many victims do not report incidents of GBV to the police.

• According to the General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety (Victimization), there were 636,000 self-reported incidents of sexual assault in 2014. Men self-reported 5 incidents of sexual assault for every 1,000 Canadians aged 15 and older. Comparatively, women self-reported 37 incidents of sexual assault for every 1,000 Canadians aged 15 and older.
  • Kindly note that the 2014 GSS on Canadian’s Safety (Victimization) appears to be the most recent cycle that collected data on self-reported incidents of sexual assault, as the proceeding 2019 GSS on Canadian’s Safety underwent numerous revisions.

• 83% of the aforementioned self-reported incidents of sexual assault in 2014 were not reported to the police. This is reflected by the chart above, provided by Statistics Canada, which provides a visual representation of the amount of self-reported sexual incidents reported to the police between 2004 and 2014.

Why Don’t Victims of GBV Report to the Police?

Trauma

Violent Retaliation

Finances

Perpetrator’s Rights and Well-Being

Rape Culture

Police Don’t Believe Victims

What Happens When Victims of GBV Report to the Police?

Police Often Don’t Believe Victims

• When survivors of GBV courageously come forward and report the incident(s) to the police, they are often not believed. ****This suggests that notions perpetuated by rape culture—where GBV is normalized and excused—manifest within the police system.
• In a 20-month investigation into how police handle sexual assault allegations, The Globe and Mail gathered data from more than 870 police forces in Canada. Their findings reveal that 1 of every 5 sexual-assault allegations in Canada is dismissed as baseless and thus unfounded.