Originally published October 29.2025.

Is Child Sexual Violence Higher in Canada?

From the age of three until I was 18, I was repeatedly subjected to child sexual violence by people I trusted. I am not alone. In Canada, approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men report experiencing child sexual violence before age 15 (Statistics Canada, 2020; Cotter, 2022). That represents roughly 8.6 million people living with the same trauma that I carry — children subjected to child sexual violence who grew into adults still fighting to breathe.

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report having experienced child sexual violence as children (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023).

I am a warrior. I fight to survive child sexual violence. I will spend the rest of my days confronting this, speaking out, and helping others. To mark the start of this journey, I recently published a book titled Breathing the Night Out, sharing my life story and the ways I continue to heal.

In the United States, meta-analyses estimate that about 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual violence in childhood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022; Finkelhor et al., 2014). Differences between Canada and the U.S. depend heavily on survey design, definitions, and reporting systems. Some Canadian surveys use broader definitions of child sexual violence and include non-contact abuse, which can produce higher prevalence estimates (Statistics Canada, 2019).

Why the Rate Appears Higher

Canada’s higher reported rate is not the result of one factor. It is the product of history, culture, law, and geography:

• Measurement and reporting — Canada’s self-report surveys capture experiences beyond police-reported crime, including unwanted sexual touching and online exploitation (Statistics Canada, 2019). Police-reported data consistently underestimates prevalence (Cotter, 2022).
• Disclosure differences — Research shows that trauma-informed survey methods and increased public awareness can increase reporting rates (Pereda et al., 2009). Higher prevalence can reflect improved disclosure rather than increased incidence.
• Funding structures and reporting incentives — Agencies serving survivors often rely on demonstrated need to secure funding, while others must show measurable outcomes to maintain support. These pressures shape how data are collected and reported. This does not negate the reality of child sexual violence but highlights the need to interpret statistics carefully.
• Colonial legacy and intergenerational trauma — The residential school system subjected Indigenous children to widespread physical and sexual abuse (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada [TRC], 2015). Indigenous children remain dramatically overrepresented in child welfare systems (Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, 2016; Statistics Canada, 2023), and Indigenous adults are overrepresented in federal custody (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2023).
• Cultural and institutional silence — Inquiries into churches, sports, and schools demonstrate patterns of institutional concealment (TRC, 2015; Independent Review into Sexual Abuse in Canadian Sport, 2023).
• Isolation — Rural and northern communities face limited access to victim services, law enforcement, and specialized trauma care (Department of Justice Canada, 2017). Geographic isolation increases vulnerability and decreases reporting access.
• Deep silence — A national reluctance to confront painful truths has allowed child sexual violence to persist and go unchallenged for too long.

Twice as Likely

Women, girls, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals face significantly higher risks (Cotter, 2022; Simpson, 2018). In Canada, 14% of women with disabilities report having experienced child sexual violence before age 15, compared with 7% of women without disabilities — nearly double the rate. The disparity continues into adulthood: 39% of women with disabilities report child sexual violence since age 15, compared with 24% of women without disabilities (Statistics Canada, 2019).

These numbers represent children who carried trauma into adulthood.

Taken together, these factors suggest that Canada’s higher reported rate may reflect both real systemic risk factors and more comprehensive measurement. What is clear is this: child sexual violence remains widespread and under-addressed.

What number do we need to reach before Canada’s health-care system offers real mental health support — not just medication, but trauma-informed therapy accessible to all survivors? Long wait times and lack of publicly funded psychotherapy remain major barriers (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2022).

The Original War

This is the original war — the war against children.
Control the children, and you control the parents.
Control the parents, and you control the world.

But here’s the truth buried in the darkness:

No one can stop love.
It is unstoppable.
And we can come together.
Together, we heal.
Together, we breathe the night out.

Call to Action

Indigenous, Black, disabled, and 2SLGBTQ+ children face elevated risks of violence and systemic barriers to protection (Statistics Canada, 2020; Simpson, 2018). Counting accurately is essential for policy reform and prevention.

Silence protects perpetrators. Evidence protects children.

We must:

• Speak.
• Act.
• Demand accountability.

Every child deserves protection.

A Challenge

If you’re thinking about graduate school, especially if you come from an underserved or targeted community and have lived experience of child sexual violence, study this. Make it your thesis. Make it your PhD. Dig until the data can’t be ignored. Build the evidence that forces Canada — and the world — to face the full truth.

Until we name it, count it, and confront it, the violence keeps winning.

References

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. (2016). First Nations child welfare decision (2016 CHRT 2). https://www.chrt-tcdp.gc.ca/

Canadian Mental Health Association. (2022). Access to publicly funded psychotherapy in Canada. https://cmha.ca/documents/access-to-publicly-funded-psychotherapy

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Preventing child sexual abuse. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/childsexualabuse.html

Cotter, A. (2022). Sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces 2022. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00001-eng.htm

Department of Justice Canada. (2017). Victim services in Canada, 2015/2016. Government of Canada. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/victim/

Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A., Turner, H., & Hamby, S. (2014). The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse and sexual assault. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(6), 540–546. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4206

Independent Review into Sexual Abuse in Canadian Sport. (2023). Final report. https://www.sirc.ca/

Office of the Correctional Investigator. (2023). Annual report 2022–2023. https://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/

Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gómez-Benito, J. (2009). The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(4), 328–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.02.007

Simpson, L. (2018). Violence against girls and women with disabilities in Canada. Canadian Women’s Foundation. https://canadianwomen.org/research/violence-against-women-with-disabilities/

Statistics Canada. (2019). Experiences of violent victimization and unwanted sexual behaviours among people with disabilities in Canada, 2018 (Juristat Catalogue No. 85-002-X). https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2019001/article/00010-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2020). Childhood maltreatment in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2020001/article/00001-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2023). Indigenous children in child welfare systems. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2023001-eng.htm

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. https://www.trc.ca/

Women and Gender Equality Canada. (2022). Gender-based violence in Canada: A statistical profile 2022. Government of Canada. https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence-knowledge-centre/statistical-profile.html

World Health Organization. (2023). Child maltreatment fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-maltreatment