A Better World Volume 1

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] 43

Engagement for action: how

the Government of Canada is

responding to gender-based violence

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P. Minister of Status of Women, Government of Canada

here is no doubt that gender-based violence (GBV)

continues to be a serious problem in Canada and

around the world.

A study published in medical journal

The Lancet

in 2013

collected data on intimate partner homicide from multiple

sources in a total of 162 countries. Among 16 comparable

countries, Canada ranks tenth according to the percentage

of women killed in an intimate relation context. In Canada,

47 per cent of all women who are murdered are in this cate-

gory. In Australia it’s 22 per cent, in Japan it is 29 per cent.

However, Austria and Denmark are at the higher end of the

spectrum with 77 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.

In 2014, for the first time since Canada started collect-

ing crime statistics, women had higher rates of self-reported

violent victimization than men. There were 85 such incidents

for every 1,000 women, compared to 67 for every 1,000 men.

In addition to the personal trauma and pain caused by such

events, they also have a financial cost for our society. A study

conducted by the Canadian Department of Justice estimated

that the cost of spousal violence against women reaches more

than C$4.8 billion per year. This includes the costs to victims

of C$3.7 billion, the cost to third parties of C$691 million and

the cost to the justice system of C$454 million. In addition,

Canadian employers lose C$52.1 million due to the direct and

indirect impacts of domestic violence such as absenteeism,

reduced productivity and, in some cases, job loss.

When I was sworn in as the newMinister of Status of Women

Canada in late 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave me

a mandate to work with experts and advocates to develop and

implement a comprehensive gender based violence strategy.

Unfortunately, being female is one of the strongest predic-

tors of violent victimization in Canada. Women are more likely

than men to be victims of intimate partner violence, including

homicide, sexual violence and harassment. Overall, 80 per

cent of intimate partner homicides in Canada are commit-

ted by men against women. The homicide rate of women in

Canada is four times that of men. In the population 15 and

over, the rate of homicides against women is 0.44 per 100,000

while for men it is 0.11 per 100,000.

Some 94 per cent of sexual assaults were committed by

men, especially younger men. The majority of child sexual

abuse victims, including online abuse, are girls.

A 2014 Angus Reid survey found that 28 per cent of

Canadians reported experiencing sexual harassment at work.

The survey showed that women were over 3.5 times more likely

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women

Image: SWCCFC

Minister Patty Hajdu and Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau with young women

from Plan Canada

Image: SWCCFC

ender

quality

and

omen

’

mpowerment