Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2019

Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile is an annual report produced by the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics at Statistics Canada as part of the Federal Family Violence Initiative. Since 1998, this report has provided data on the nature and extent of family violence in Canada, as well as an analysis of trends over time. According to Justice Canada, a considerable amount of Canadian resources are directed to address this issue including health care costs, costs to the justice system, to employers and businesses, and to social and community services (Justice Canada 2017). Text box 1 Police-reported crime and calls for service during the COVID-19 pandemic In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics at Statistics Canada began collecting monthly data from police services to track information on selected types of Criminal Code violations during the pandemic. Inversely, as individuals spent more time at home with family during the pandemic-while working from home and participating in virtual learning-heightened stress due to social isolation, economic uncertainty and increased substance use, among others, could lead to an increase in family violence (Campbell 2020; Usher et al. 2020).