Sexual Assault Data

Question

A student needs data for the last 10 yrs, for all cases of rape reported, the day and the time of the incidence.

I've looked at Crime Statistics in Canada (2006) and am wondering if I can get this information from the incident-based microdata version of the UCR survey.

Do we have access to this version of the UCR survey through DLI ?

Answer

We have Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) data on sexual assault offences for the last 10 years in the DLI collection but these data don't include information about the day or time of the assaults.

When I asked the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics about your request, they explained that there were changes to the Criminal Code of Canada in 1983 which removed rape and introduced a three tiered structure of sexual assault offences. So from 1983 onwards, the UCR provides data on sexual assault offences levels I, II and II. Our contact described the three levels as follows: "'Sexual Assault' offences, Level I (sexual assault - the most minor level), Level II (sexual assault with a weapon - serious injury to victim) and Level III (aggravated sexual assault - grievous injury to the victim)".

A table can be created by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics using UCR data that details the number of incidents and rate per 100 000 population of sexual assault offences (Level I, II and III) in Canada from 1996 to 2006.

The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics told me that they might be able to produce more detailed tables on sexual assault offences if you placed a custom request but this would be a fee based service as the tables don't exist as a standard product. The data in these tables would probably start in 1998, might specify if assaults occurred in the am or pm and wouldn't contain data from all police forces across Canada. But, as I mentioned above, these tables would only be available as a custom service for a fee.