A 15-Year Population-Based Investigation of Sexual Assault Cases Across the Province of Ontario, Canada, 2002–2016

Abstract

Objectives. To estimate the population-level frequencies and standardized rates of sexual assault cases in the province of Ontario, Canada. Methods. We conducted a 15-year retrospective analysis (2002–2016) of sexual assault cases by linking 5 provincial administrative health databases. We defined sexual assault by an algorithm of 23 International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, and physician billing codes. We calculated age- and sex-stratified standardized rates per 100 000 census population, and we used age- and sex-stratified Poisson regressions to determine annual rate ratios. Results. Between 2002 and 2016, there were 52 780 incident cases of sexual assault in Ontario at a rate of 27.38 per 100 000 population. The highest rates were found among females aged 15 to 19 years (187 per 100 000) and 20 to 24 years (127 per 100 000). Among males, the highest rates were observed among children aged 0 to 4 years (41 per 100 000) and 5 to 9 years (29 per 10 000). Among males and females, the annual rate ratio increased among those aged 15 years and older and decreased among those aged 14 years and younger. Conclusions. Sexual assault was documented across all age groups and sexes, from children to elders, with high standardized rates among adolescents and children.

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

“…To account for the potential confounding effects of seasonality, we compared the COVID-19 time frame (March to May) in 2020 and 2018. Previously, we conducted a 15-year population-based analysis and documented that ED sexual assault cases are highest in the summer, decrease through fall and winter, and begin to rise in early spring [42]. Despite the previously identified seasonal increase in the spring, this study documents a decrease in cases presenting for care.…”

Sexual assault: women’s voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police

“…First, underreporting of sexual assault underestimates the severity of the problem and results in under-estimation of the number of individuals affected. Having an accurate recording of the extent of sexual violence is necessary for the allocation of resources for preventive and treatment services [ 53 ]. Safety is also of concern, as recidivism of sexual perpetration is a risk for both the survivor and/or other individual(s).…”

Examining the relationship between food insecurity and causes of injury in Canadian adults and adolescents

“…While identifying the precise mechanism connecting food insecurity to injury is beyond the scope of this paper, our findings accorded with our understanding of the association between socioeconomic disadvantages and injury [ 16 ]. That food insecurity correlated with violence may reflect exposure of food-insecure individuals to less safe environments relative to their food-secure counterparts, whether at home [ 20 ], school [ 14 ], workplace [ 28 ], or neighborhood [ 17 ]. Violence is more likely to occur in neighborhoods with high levels of perceived social disorders such as prevalence of abandoned houses and high incidence of assaults, possibly due to the weakening of trust and connections among neighbors [ 20 ].…”

“…Food insecurity may denote heightened risk of injury through increased exposure to hazardous environment and constrained ability to afford hazard mitigation [ 16 ]. In Canada, residents of deprived neighbourhoods are at elevated risk of being assaulted, falling, and drug poisoning [ 17 – 21 ]. This related to environmental hazards present in low-income neighbourhoods such as low social support, poor housing conditions, and high exposure to drugs and violence.…”