Sexual assault is experienced by Canadian women every day at home, at work, at school and on the street . A 1993 Statistics Canada survey found that one-half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence. A 1984 study found that one in four Canadian women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime. Half of these assaults will be against women under the age of 16.
Women lie about being sexually assaulted, often because they feel guilty about having sex.
In fact, sexual assault is a vastly under-reported crime. Women face the greatest risk of sexual assault from men they know, not strangers. But these sexual assaults are no less a crime than those committed by strangers. The best way for a woman to protect herself from sexual assault is to avoid being alone at night in dark, deserted places, such as alleys or parking lots. It also blames the victim for the crime, not the offender.