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.

On this page

• Statistics Canada Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces
• Data on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces
• Research program for addressing sexual misconduct

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 survey was conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2022. The next iteration of the survey will be conducted in fall 2024. Statistics Canada expects to make the results public in fall 2025.

2022 Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces

Statistics Canada conducted the third Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (SSMCAF) from October 11, 2022 to January 26, 2023. The survey results were published December 5, 2023.

Access current and previous SSMCAF results.

Students in military colleges are not eligible to complete the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces. However, in 2019, 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. The survey is part of the on the Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population which is conducted every five years.

Data on sexual misconduct incidents in the Canadian Armed Forces

The CAF/DND 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 sexual misconduct incident tracking system 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 the sexual misconduct incident tracking system.

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)

Related documents:

• Directive for the Institutionalization of the Operation Honour Tracking and Analysis System (OPHTAS)
• Privacy Impact Assessment for the Operation Honour Tracking and Analysis System

Research program for addressing sexual misconduct

The CAF established the 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 research program.