Before a police report is made, a woman has already been assaulted as many as 35 times!

Assault of woman happens in all education and income brackets and in all religious and ethnic groups.

Children who witness abuse and violence are as traumatized as much as they would be if they had suffered the abuse themselves.

A woman killed in BC is more likely to have been killed by her partner than by anyone else, and she is more likely to be injured by her partner than in a car accident.

Woman are 13 times more likely to be abused in their own homes than by a stranger on the street.

Children from abusive homes are at a greater risk of abusing or being abused.

Violence affects all family members. whether they show the effects or not.

Date rape happens when someone you know coerces or forces you to do things you don't want to.

Four out of five victims of sexual assaults reported to police say they were attacked by someone they know.

1 out of every 2 women in Canada has been physically or sexually assaulted at least once (from the age of 16).  This figure represents 51% of 10 million woman.

1 in 3 woman experience physical assault, from threats of assault to attacks causing serious injury.

Children witness violence in 4 out if 10 marriages where violence is reported.

45% of victims know their attackers.

29% of woman have experienced violence at the hands of a present or former partner.

15% of woman experience violence by the men they still live with.

63% of woman attacked by their male partner are assaulted more than once; 32% are assaulted more than 10 times.

Only 14% of violent incidents against woman are reported to the police.

In 1997-1998, 90792 women and dependent children were admitted to 413 shelters for battered women across Canada

In a snapshot taken on April 20, 1998, there were 6115 residents in 422  shelters: 48% were women and 52% were dependent children.  Almost three-quarters of these children were under 10 years old.

77% (2260) of women in shelters on April 20, 1998 were victims of abuse and the remainder were admitted for reasons other than abuse such as housing problems.

The majority of shelters offered the following in-house services to women residents: individual short term counselling (91%), advocacy (87%), parenting skills (82%), and housing referral (82%).

Services offered to resident children include indoor and outdoor recreational space (80%), individual counselling (75%), group counselling (53%), and programs for children who have witnessed abuse or experienced violence (53%).

On April 20, 1998, 407 shelters reported they had received 3590 requests for various services form non-residents and ex-residents.

Facilities reported providing an average of 41 outreach per week.  Outreach work included supplying information, accompanying victims to court, meeting with clients to discuss possibilities/options, and participating in drop-in centres.

The operating costs reported by 411 shelters in 1997-1998 were $170 million.

78% of women citied psychological abuse.

67% physical assault

48% threats

42% financial abuse

38% harassment

26% sexual assault