Fact sheet: Nunavut

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Victims of police-reported violent crime in Nunavut, 2023

• In 2023, police services across Nunavut reported 4,805 victims of violent crime and traffic offences causing death or bodily harm (Table 14.1). This represented 11,877 victims per 100,000 population, almost 10 times the national rate (1,207 per 100,000).^{Footnote 113}
• Most (85%) victims were adults aged 18 and older;^{Footnote 114} almost half (49%) of all victims were aged 25 to 44 years, representing the largest proportion of any age group (Table 14.1). Meanwhile, 10% of victims were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and 5% were children 11 years and younger. The rate of victims was highest among adults aged 25 to 44 years (20,027 per 100,000 population) and young adults aged 18 to 24 (16,349 per 100,000 population).^{Footnote 115}
• Eight in ten (80%) victims of police-reported crime in 2023 were victims of assault.^{Footnote 116} Assault victims accounted for the vast majority (84%) of adult victims aged 18 years and older, and more than half (56%) of child and youth victims aged 17 years and younger.
• The second most commonly reported offence was “other violent violations” which accounted for 11% of victims.^{Footnote 117} This category includes offences such as robbery, extortion, and uttering threats, among other violent crimes.
• Overall, 5% of police-reported victims of violent crime in the Nunavut in 2023 were victims of sexual assault.^{Footnote 118} Almost three-quarters (73%) of sexual assault victims were adults aged 18 years and older, and one in five (20%) were youth aged 12 to 17 years. A small number (8%) were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 14.1).
• More than half (58%) of victims of sexual violations against children were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and less than half (42%) were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 14.1).
• Six in ten (63%) police-reported victims were female, and they represented much larger proportions of victims of sexual assault (93%) and sexual violations against children (91%) (Table 14.2). In Nunavut, female victims outnumbered male victims for most offences.
• Male and female victims of police-reported sexual assault differed notably by age. Three in four (75%) female sexual assault victims were adults aged 18 years and older, and just less than half (47%) of male sexual assault victims were adults.^{Footnote 119}
• Compared to female victims, sexual offences were less common among male children and youth aged 17 years and younger, as 2% were victims of sexual assault and 3% were victims of sexual violations against children (13% and 31%, respectively, among female victims).^{Footnote 120} In addition, unlike other jurisdictions, assault was more commonly reported among female child and youth victims (46%) than male child and youth victims (37%).

Victim services in Nunavut

The Community Justice Division of the territorial Department of Justice administers five programs to assist victims of crime, including the Victims Assistance Fund, which supports community-based projects and culturally relevant activities. Other programs include the Victims Travel Support Program, the Victim Care Program, the Victims of Crime Emergency Fund, and the Family Information Liaison Unit, which provides specialized support for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Additionally, various specialized community-based victim services focus on specific types of victims, including victims of domestic violence and child/youth victims. Such services include the Spousal Abuse Counseling Program, the Family Abuse Intervention Program, and the Umingmak Child and Youth Advocacy Centre.

The information provided below represents the number of newly-referred victims of crime who received direct services from Nunavut’s Victim Services programs in 2023. Cases involving individuals who were the victim of multiple offences perpetrated by the same or different accused person(s) are maintained as one open file and are counted as one victim. Information is not available for victims who only received assistance from specialized community-based programs.

• In 2023, Nunavut Victim Services assisted 626 newly-referred direct and secondary victims of crime.
• Children and youth accounted for 43% of victims assisted by the program.
• Of adult victims assisted by Victim Services, a large majority (82%) were female.
• Victims of physical assault represented 40% of those assisted by Victim Services. Almost one-third (31%) of clients were victims of sexual assault and an additional 16% were victims of a sexual violation against a child.
• Nearly half (49%) of supports and services provided to newly-referred victims involved referrals to a counselling service and another 49% involved various forms of court support, including orientation, accompaniment to court proceedings, and updates.

Detailed data tables

Table 14.1: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nunavut, 2023

Table 14.2: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and sex, Nunavut, 2023

Table 14.3: Number and percentage of female victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nunavut, 2023

Table 14.4: Number and percentage of male victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nunavut, 2023

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