Dating Violence

From the Vancouver Sun:

The rates of dating violence nearly doubled for both men and women between 2004 and 2008, a new study shows, although victims were mostly grown women.

While teenage girls experienced 10 times as much violence as boys their age, a Statistics Canada study released June 29 says that rates of police-reported dating violence are actually highest for those in their 30s.

Between 2004 and 2008, rates of reported violence rose 40 per cent for women and 47 per cent for men. Women were victims of dating violence 80 per cent of the time, with a majority of incidents occurring after the relationship ended.

In 2008, there were 23,000 incidents of dating violence, with over half of incidents described as common assault — the least serious form of physical assault.

The incidents accounted for more than one-quarter of police-reported violence, and represented seven per cent of total violent crimes in Canada that year.

Teenage girls age 15 to 19 were more often victimized by an older partner, the study found. According to police data, 71 per cent of incidents against women resulted in charges, compared with 57 per cent of men.