Data released earlier this year by the Ottawa Police Services (OPS) showed a six per cent increase of intimate partner violence (IPV) incidents in 2025. While police link this increase to greater trust in reporting systems, advocates say systemic barriers continue to prevent many from seeking help.
Police data show victims are predominantly female, accounting for 80 per cent of cases. Nearly half of the victims were between the ages of 30 and 45, and four femicides were also reported in 2025. Police caution that the statistics represent only reported incidents, noting that intimate partner violence is often underreported.
Previous reporting by The Leveller has linked gaps in affordable housing and shelter access to increased risk for women leaving abusive relationships, including in cases of femicide.
“A key factor is the assurance that their basic needs will be met. Survivors are more likely to seek help when they know they and their children will have safe, stable housing and access to essential support.”
“Everyone knows someone who is experiencing intimate partner violence, whether [they] realize it or not,” said Melanie Winwood, senior advisor on violence against women with Ottawa Police. She explains that the signs of physical violence don’t need to be obvious.
Winwood said the increase in reported cases may reflect growing trust in police and their new initiatives aimed at improving engagement with survivors.
“What we’re hoping is that [the increase in reporting is] because of some new initiatives that we have put in place to really work with either our partners or women in the community to help them feel that higher sense of trust in us,” she said.
She added that abuse itself can make it difficult for survivors to leave their situation or seek help.
“It all comes down to limiting their access to resources, so that if they ever get to a stage where they come to the realization that this isn’t normal or healthy, they can’t leave,” Winwood said.
Keara Dean, a sexual assault survivor, spoke about her experience with reaching out to police. In 2022, she was trying to report an incident of sexual violence that occurred in Quebec in 1997. The response left her with significant mental and physical health issues.
“I realized they were coming after me. I felt like a criminal they were trying to go after. This is revictimizing.”
Dean said she decided to report after learning that the man who had assaulted her in 1997 had been arrested for crimes against another woman.
“I wanna do this for them,” she said.
However, when trying to tell her story, both Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Sûreté du Québec told her she couldn’t speak to anyone. She said the two police services kept transferring her back and forth.
What was already “hard enough” had become a nightmare to deal with. “Beyond what I ever expected to go through,” Dean said.
She filed a complaint to OPP for not giving appropriate responses to her story and they called her in for mediation. Dean said the sergeant and two other officers locked her in a room and questioned her without recording. “I realized they were coming after me. I felt like a criminal they were trying to go after,” Dean said. “This is revictimizing.”
She described breaking down during the interview. At this point, Dean stated that the sergeant told the other officers to leave, and handed her a completed form to withdraw her complaint that required only her signature.
Dean described reporting abuse and assault through the justice system as “all risk, no benefit.”
She explains that some of the reasons she hesitated to report the incident included the fear of not being believed, focusing on other things, wanting to erase the incident from her memory, and the lack of guarantee that police would take you seriously.
Stephanie McCullough, a representative from ShelterSafe.ca, said many survivors seek support outside the justice system due to fear or uncertainty about police involvement.
“Many survivors express fear or hesitation in contacting law enforcement. For some, shelters are a first point of contact when leaving a violent situation,” she said.
McCullough said one of the most common barriers is shelter capacity.
“Many shelters are operating at or above capacity, making it difficult for survivors to access immediate support when they need it most.”
She added that access barriers vary depending on circumstances, including for newcomers, people with children, those with mental health or substance use needs, and individuals in rural or remote communities.
“A key factor is the assurance that their basic needs will be met,” McCullough said. “Survivors are more likely to seek help when they know they and their children will have safe, stable housing and access to essential support.”
Award-winning journalist Emma Jarratt whose reporting has focused on systemic abuse and gender-based violence, said survivors continue to face long-standing barriers when seeking help.
“The systemic dismissal of women’s experiences historically, I would say, is a pretty ubiquitous gap,” she said.
Criminal defence lawyer Matthew Wolfson said survivors also face complex legal, financial, and familial pressures that can deter reporting.
He said concerns about children, housing stability, and financial dependence often complicate decisions to come forward.
Police have introduced several initiatives aimed at improving survivor safety and encouraging people to report abuse. One initiative, Victim Choice Reporting, allows survivors to report incidents by phone, in person, or virtually. Under the Victim Choice Reporting program, specialized officers meet survivors in safe locations and provide trauma-informed support and referrals.
Ottawa Police have also made strangulation risk training mandatory for officers so they can better identify high-risk intimate partner violence cases when survivors come forward. Winwood said strangulation significantly increases the risk of homicide, even when no visible injuries are present, making early recognition critical.
According to Winwood, feedback on the reporting initiative has been overwhelmingly positive, with nearly all respondents saying they felt supported and informed.
The latest Ottawa Police data showed a five per cent decrease in reported intimate partner violence during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. While police have expanded survivor-focused reporting initiatives, the reasons behind the decline remain unclear. Advocates continue to warn that overcrowded shelters, housing insecurity and other systemic barriers make it difficult for many survivors to leave abusive relationships or seek help, raising questions about whether fewer reports necessarily mean fewer incidents.
Women’s Shelters Canada echoes Ottawa’s situation: shelters across the country continue to face rising demand, aging infrastructure, and funding shortages, leaving many unable to meet the growing need.
