No decline in domestic violence last year after hitting 2023 peak

After reaching their highest levels in 2023, the number of police-reported domestic violence incidents remained at record levels last year, according to new data from Statistics Canada released Tuesday.

In 2024, there were 349 victims of family violence per 100,000 people — compared to 350 victims per 100,000 in 2023 — representing a 17 per cent increase since the pre-pandemic levels of 2018.

When it comes to violence by current or former partners, there were 356 victims per 100,000 people aged 12 and older compared to 354 victims in the previous year. Intimate partner violence also increased since 2018, going up by 14 per cent.

Nearly half the victims of intimate partner violence lived with the accused at the time of the incident.

“With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and lockdown measures, safety protocols, they brought increased attention to the issue of family violence specifically and intimate partner violence,” Laura Savage, an analyst at Statistics Canada, told CityNews.

Among the provinces, Saskatchewan recorded the highest rates of both family violence (737 victims per 100,000 people) and intimate partner violence (714 victims per 100,000 people). Meanwhile, they were the lowest in Ontario (237 victims of family violence and 278 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population).

In Quebec, both family violence and intimate partner violence was higher than the national average at 456 victims per 100,000 people and 401 victims per 100,000 people aged 12 and older.

Family violence against seniors and older reached its highest recorded rate in 2024 for a second year in a row, with 98 victims per 100,000 people over 65 years old.

After reaching a record level in 2023, family violence against children aged 17 and under declined by two per cent last year.

Women and children were 2.1 more times likely to be victims of family violence and 3.5 more times likely to be victims of intimate partner violence. However, the rates of violence against men and boys grew at a higher rate in 2024.

Police-reported violence includes various forms – physical, sexual, harassment, threats – which reach the threshold of crime. 

The Statistics Canada report also cautioned that a lot of victims of domestic violence do not come forward.

“We know from self-reported victimization surveys that often these types of incidents go unreported,” Savage explained. “So, police-reported data, in general, fluctuates based on greater awareness, education, things like that.”

Dolores Chew, program secretary at the South Asian Women’s Community Centre which offers various frontline services for people in crisis, said it is understandable why the rate of domestic violence might be higher than reported.

“Very often, in an intimate relationship, you are in love with the person, [so] you don’t want to recognize it, or if you do, you don’t want to report on them, or you’re embarrassed,” Chew said. “So there are many, many factors here for people not coming out.”

Walter Tom, manager of a legal information clinic run by a student union at Concordia University, said when someone decides to report violence by their partners, they are not only wanting out of that relationship but are also taking a risk by coming out.

“If they don’t have an alternative for safety and shelter, unfortunately, their choice is just to continue living with the violence that they have to endure or go out in the streets. So what kind of situation is that? What kind of choice is that?” Tom said.

Tom also criticized the Quebec government’s policies and said it has been underfunding housing and shelter for at-risk women and people experiencing homelessness.

“This particular provincial government has shown itself to be very anti-immigrant, and that puts vulnerable people at an even more vulnerable and marginalized situation,” he added.

Chew said for a longtime victim of domestic violence who were sponsored by a spouse could risk losing their immigration status if they got separated or divorced.

The government of Canada changed this policy as of February 2025. Victims of family violence can  get a temporary residence permit which would allow them to stay in the country for a year.

However, Chew said the problem of economic vulnerability remains.

“You might have your status here now and you won’t be deported, but if you’re economically dependent, then it’s like, where would I go? What would I do? If there are young children involved, then how can I leave with them?” Chew said.