RESEARCH

This page provides facts about Women’s Place of South Niagara Inc. and woman abuse as a social issue. In addition, you’ll find research links on woman abuse.

Facts about Women’s Place of South Niagara Inc.

• In 2009/2010, we provided safe haven for 242 women and children at Nova House in Niagara Falls and at Serenity Place in Welland. In addition, we provided services on an outreach basis to more than 3,000 women in the community.
• Legal Services were provided to 322 clients through our outreach services.
• 1,977 crisis calls were received on our 24-hour Crisis Line, allowing us to provide immediate crisis and support counselling by telephone.
• We received 11,869 volunteer hours from volunteers in both our shelter and in the community.
• 226 Transitional Support Clients serviced in the community.
• Due to lack of space in our shelters, we referred 128 women and children elsewhere.
• Our annual operating budget of $1,880,967 allows us to continue serving women and children impacted by abuse. We rely on fundraisers and donations to meet our financial obligations.
• For a list of our board of directors please click here.

Facts about woman abuse

• In a one-year period spanning 2003/2004, more than 58,000 women and almost 37,000 children sought refuge at shelters in Canada.
• On any given day, about 300 women and children will be referred elsewhere because the shelter is full.
• One out of every two women in Canada has been physically or sexually assaulted at least once.
• Twenty-one per cent of women are assaulted while pregnant.
• Eighty-three per cent of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime.
• Men who abuse their spouses are more likely than men who don't abuse their spouses to assault their own children.
• The average number of female victims of spousal homicide in Ontario each year is 25.
  
• Aboriginal women are three times more likely to experience violence than other women.
• More than 1 million children in Canada have witnessed violence in their own homes.
• Children who witness violence at home are more likely than other children to grow up to be perpetrators of violence or victims themselves.
  
  Sources: Statistics Canada and Health Canada’s National Clearinghouse on Family Violence

Research links

For an overview article on woman abuse from the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, click here.

For family violence statistics from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (2008), click here.