Of every 100 incidents of sexual assault, only 6 are reported to the police (YWCA)
1 in 2 transgender Canadians will experience some form of sexual or gender-based violence (Rainbow Youth Ontario)
1 in 3 Canadian women/girls will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime (The World Health Organization)
1 in 4 Canadian men/boys will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime (National Sexual Violence Resource Centre)
Only 2 – 4% of all sexual assaults reported are false reports
60% of sexual abuse/assault victims are under the age of 17
80% of sexual assault incidents occur in the home
83% of disabled women will be sexual assaulted during their lifetime
15% of sexual assault victims are boys under 16
half of all sexual offenders are married or in long term relationships
57% of aboriginal women have been sexually abused
80% of assailants are friends and family of the victim
The rate of sexual assault for Canadians aged 15 to 24 is 18 times higher than that of Canadians aged 55 and older.
It is estimated that numbers for all instances sexual and/ or gender-based violence are underreported due to barriers and stigma associated with reporting.
What Is Consent?
Click below to watch a short video that will explain consent including: what consent is and what it is not, what consent looks like, age of consent and how to ask for consent.
Consent Matters
Only 1 in 3 Canadians know what sexual consent means
According to Canadian law, consent should be both positive (e.g. saying yes, initiating and/or enjoying sexual activity) and ongoing (e.g. continues during the sexual activity).
Only 1 in 3 survey respondents identified both of these traits as forms of consent.
While 97% of Canadians believe consent is required for sexual activity between people on a casual date or between new partners, 1 in 10 Canadians believe consent is not required or don’t know if it’s required between spouses (12%) or long-term partners (11%).
The 2019 Student Voices Survey on sexual violence tells us that students are experiencing and witnessing violence on campus. This tells us that consent education and talks are important to have early on to prevent future violence and harm.
How to Have "The Talks"
They’re ready. Raising sexually healthy children and educating everyone on sex positive, shame free ways that our body works is an evidence-based approach to ending future sexual, gender-based, and intimate partner violence. If you’re looking for books to talk to young ones about topics such as gender, racism, activism, empathy, emotions etc., check out A Kids Book About!
