Research, data and analysis on sexual misconduct

Sexual misconduct research, surveys, articles and statistics, including the Statistics Canada Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces

Statistics Canada conducts a voluntary survey on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on behalf of the CAF. The survey is designed to collect information regarding the prevalence of sexual misconduct within the military, to understand CAF members’ awareness of policy, programs and associated support mechanisms and to determine reporting trends. The CAF is committed to repeating the survey on a regular basis as a means of tracking progress over time. The date for the administration of the next survey has not yet been determined.

2018 Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces

Statistics Canada conducted the second Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces from September 14 to November 15, 2018. The survey results were published May 22, 2019.

Statistics Canada conducted the first Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces in the spring of 2016. The survey results were published November 28, 2016. For additional information about the survey, see the survey backgrounder published by National Defence.

Students in military colleges are not eligible to complete the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces. However, in 2018, Statistics Canada conducted a survey designed to measure experiences of students attending a Canadian military college. For additional information about this survey and results, see the report titled Experiences of unwanted sexualized and discriminatory behaviours and sexual assault among students at Canadian military colleges, 2019.

Data on sexual misconduct incidents in the Canadian Armed Forces

As part of Operation HONOUR, the CAF collects and analyses sexual misconduct incident data to understand the scope of the issue and to identify areas where a more concerted effort is required.

When an incident is reported, the chain of command is responsible for creating a case in the Operation HONOUR Tracking and Analysis System (OPHTAS), and entering available data related to the incident and any subsequent actions related to the incident.

Sexual misconduct incidents can be reported to the chain of command at any time, therefore data for reported incidents is variable. On an annual basis, the CAF publishes a report providing a snapshot of the data available in OPHTAS.

Most recent data report on incidents reported to the chain of command:

2019 Sexual Misconduct Incident Tracking report (reflects incident data from April 2016 – March 2019)

Operation HONOUR Research Program

The CAF established the Operation HONOUR Research Program to increase its understanding of sexual misconduct and to inform its efforts to address it. Research conducted for the program aims to:

Understand the scope of sexual misconduct in the CAF;
Understand key risks and barriers to a healthy and inclusive CAF/DND culture;
Explore key cultural factors and behaviours that create positive culture change; and
Guide ongoing training programs and policy development.

Learn more about the Operation HONOUR research program.

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