Victims of police-reported violent crime in Ontario, 2023
In 2023, police services across Ontario reported 141,906 victims of violent crime and traffic offences causing death or bodily harm (Table 7.1). This represented 916 victims per 100,000 population, which was lower than the national rate (1,207 per 100,000).Footnote 53
Most (80%) victims were adults aged 18 and older;Footnote 54 41% of all victims were aged 25 to 44 years, representing the largest proportion of any age group (Table 7.1). Meanwhile, 13% of victims were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and 7% were children 11 years and younger. The rate of victims was highest among youth aged 12 to 17 years (1,898 per 100,000 population), followed by young adults aged 18 to 24 years (1,479 per 100,000) and adults aged 25 to 44 years (1,334 per 100,000).Footnote 55
Six in ten (61%) victims of police-reported violent crime in 2023 were victims of assault.Footnote 56 Assault victims accounted for the majority (64%) of adult victims aged 18 years and older, and half (51%) of child and youth victims aged 17 years and younger.
The second most commonly reported offence was “other violent violations” which accounted for more than one-quarter of victims (28%).Footnote 57 This category includes offences such as robbery, extortion, and uttering threats, among other violent crimes.
Overall, 9% of police-reported victims of violent crime in Ontario in 2023 were victims of sexual assault.Footnote 58 Most (64%) sexual assault victims were adults aged 18 years and older, and one-quarter (25%) were youth aged 12 to 17 years. A small number (11%) were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 7.1).
The majority (60%) of victims of sexual violations against children were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and 38% were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 7.1).
While more than half (54%) of police-reported victims were female, they represented much larger proportions of victims of sexual assault (88%) and sexual violations against children (84%) (Table 7.2).
Most (73%) of victims of homicide, attempted murder and other violations causing death were male, as well as the majority (61%) of victims of traffic violations causing death or bodily harm (Table 7.2).
Male and female victims of police-reported sexual assault differed notably by age. Two-thirds (67%) of female sexual assault victims were adults aged 18 years and older, while almost half (46%) of male sexual assault victims were adults.Footnote 59
Compared to female victims, sexual offences were less common among male children and youth aged 17 years and younger, as 7% were victims of sexual assault and 3% were victims of sexual violations against children (26% and 14%, respectively, among female victims).Footnote 60 However, assault was more commonly reported among male child and youth victims (58%) than female child and youth victims (37%).
Victim services in Ontario
In Ontario, victims receive assistance from a wide range of programs. The Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG)’s mandate for victim services falls under Ontario Victim Services (OVS) in the Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division. OVS provides direct services to victims of crime across the province, such as those offered through the Victim/Witness Assistance Program (VWAP). The MAG also funds a range of specialized court-based services and legal support programs, including the Child Victim Witness Program, the Independent Legal Advice Program, the Vulnerable Victims and Families Fund, Family Law Support Program, Partner Assault Response (PAR) program, and grant programs to support victims. The Ministry supports and delivers a number of Indigenous-specific services including Indigenous Victim Services, the Ontario Family Information Liaison Unit and the Indigenous-specific Intimate Partner Violence Prevention (IPVP) Program. These programs take into consideration factors such as language barriers, remote geographic locations of First Nation communities, and the legacy of assimilative law and policies aimed at the destruction of Indigenous families and communities. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services funds community-based organizations that deliver support services to victims, including but not limited to the Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario Program, Victim Quick Response Program+, the Family Court Support Worker Program, the Internet Child Exploitation counselling program, Emergency Shelters, Transitional and Housing Support programs and Sexual Assault Centres.
In addition, the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) has a guideline which recommends that all police services work in partnership with community-based victim assistance providers to promote the development of an integrated service delivery framework.
The information provided below only reflects data from the Ministry of the Attorney General’s VWAP. VWAP supports and assists victims of crime throughout their involvement in the criminal justice process. This data represents instances where a charge has been laid, and in turn, the victim is involved in the criminal justice process. It does not include data about victims who may have received assistance from police, other OVS programs, or from other community-based agencies.
In 2023, VWAP assisted 55,105 newly referred direct victims of crime and 5,708 newly referred secondary victims of crime.
Children and youth accounted for 8% of victims assisted by VWAP.
Over two-thirds (68%) of VWAP’s clients were female. Approximately 20% of victims were male and 12% had no listed gender. In addition, 98 victims identified as either transgender, nonbinary, or Two-Spirit.
Most victims who received assistance from VWAP (99%) were victims of violent crime. This includes 75% who were victims of intimate partner violence or domestic abuse, and 11% who were victims of various sexual abuse offences. Only 1% of victims served were victims of a non-violent offence, including 475 victims involved in a motor vehicle fatality.
Of all individual services provided to newly referred VWAP clients, 71% involved court-related services, including client/worker meetings, court accompaniment, and assistance with Victim Impact Statements or Community Impact Statements. An additional 22% of services were related to various forms of safety and needs assessments, 6% involved referrals to external services, and 1% involved advocacy related to housing, testimonial aids, or witness protection.
In 2023, VWAP assisted with the completion and submission of 11,892 Victim Impact Statements and 18 Community Impact Statements.
Detailed data tables
Table 7.1: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Table 7.1: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Type of violation
Total victims, all ages
Child and youth victims
Adult victims
11 years and younger
12 to 17 years
18 to 24 years
25 to 44 years
45 to 64 years
65 years and older
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder
577
100%
31
5.4%
39
6.8%
108
18.8%
235
40.9%
118
20.6%
43
7.5%
Sexual assaults
12,269
100%
1,298
10.6%
3,110
25.4%
2,514
20.5%
3,799
31.0%
1,106
9.0%
413
3.4%
Sexual violations against children
2,276
100%
865
38.2%
1,362
60.1%
33
1.5%
7
0.3%
0
0
0
0
Assaults
87,220
100%
5,529
6.4%
8,422
9.8%
12,036
14.0%
37,785
43.9%
17,534
20.4%
4,829
5.6%
Other violent violations
39,115
100%
1,415
3.6%
5,415
14.0%
6,281
16.2%
15,764
40.6%
8,148
21.0%
1,779
4.6%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm
449
100%
30
6.8%
34
7.7%
78
17.6%
162
36.5%
103
23.2%
37
8.3%
Total violent violations
141,906
100%
9,168
6.5%
18,382
13.1%
21,050
15.0%
57,752
41.1%
27,009
19.2%
7,101
5.1%
Table 7.2: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and sex, Ontario, 2023
Table 7.2: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and sex, Ontario, 2023
Type of violation
Total victims
Female victims
Male victims
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder
577
100%
155
27.3%
413
72.7%
Sexual assaults
12,269
100%
10,628
88.0%
1,443
12.0%
Sexual violations against children
2,276
100%
1,885
83.8%
364
16.2%
Assaults
87,220
100%
41,492
49.0%
43,218
51.0%
Other violent violations
39,115
100%
19,998
51.4%
18,876
48.6%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm
449
100%
171
39.3%
264
60.7%
Total violent violations
141,906
100%
74,329
53.5%
64,578
46.5%
Table 7.3: Number and percentage of female victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Table 7.3: Number and percentage of female victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Type of violation
Female victims, all ages
Female child and youth victims
Female adult victims
11 years and younger
12 to 17 years
18 to 24 years
25 to 44 years
45 to 64 years
65 years and older
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder
155
100%
10
6.5%
7
4.5%
23
14.8%
62
40.0%
35
22.6%
18
11.6%
Sexual assaults
10,628
100%
762
7.2%
2,689
25.4%
2,321
21.9%
3,469
32.7%
989
9.3%
373
3.5%
Sexual violations against children
1,885
100%
671
35.7%
1,172
62.4%
28
1.5%
7
0.4%
0
0
0
0
Assaults
41,492
100%
1,277
3.1%
3,696
9.0%
6,136
14.9%
19,871
48.2%
7,928
19.2%
2,336
5.7%
Other violent violations
19,998
100%
647
3.3%
2,333
11.7%
3,145
15.8%
8,855
44.5%
4,077
20.5%
826
4.2%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm
171
100%
5
2.9%
13
7.6%
34
19.9%
61
35.7%
44
25.7%
14
8.2%
Total violent violations
74,329
100%
3,372
4.6%
9,910
13.4%
11,687
15.8%
32,325
43.7%
13,073
17.7%
3,567
4.8%
Table 7.4: Number and percentage of male victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Table 7.4: Number and percentage of male victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Ontario, 2023
Type of violation
Male victims, all ages
Male child and youth victims
Male adult victims
11 years and younger
12 to 17 years
18 to 24 years
25 to 44 years
45 to 64 years
65 years and older
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder
413
100%
15
3.7%
31
7.6%
85
20.7%
173
42.2%
82
20.0%
24
5.9%
Sexual assaults
1,443
100%
369
25.6%
413
28.7%
189
13.1%
318
22.1%
113
7.8%
39
2.7%
Sexual violations against children
364
100%
176
48.6%
181
50.0%
5
1.4%
0
0
0
0
0
0
Assaults
43,218
100%
2,071
4.9%
4,696
11.1%
5,858
13.8%
17,786
41.9%
9,556
22.5%
2,477
5.8%
Other violent violations
18,876
100%
641
3.4%
3,068
16.4%
3,119
16.7%
6,878
36.7%
4,059
21.7%
952
5.1%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm
