Statistics were produced during the association's eight years of existence, when we followed families over a long period of time. Those statistics also come from comparative figures. There is very little data on the impact of a crime on families, especially in cases of homicide or disappearance. Over the 50-odd years criminology has existed in Canada, focus has mostly been placed on the reasons for crime—in cases of sexual assault, domestic assault and conjugal violence. Criminal behaviour has been considered at length, but very little attention has been given to the impact of a crime on families.
The profession of victimologist is a recent one. It's only four or five years old in Canada. That's why the Isabelle Boisvenu Fund was created—to encourage people to study in that field. It should be said that universities are more concerned about what happens to criminals than about what happens to victims. However, more interest is slowly being shown in victims.
So, our data come from our own statistics gathered within the association, which has been following families for almost a decade. Much of that data comes from the VCI, as well as from crime victims' assistance centres and sexual assault centres. We have managed to compare our data to that for other types of crime. In our opinion, if homicide is the most violent of crimes, statistics should be comparative.
So we have compiled those statistics from our own experience and from the already existing data regarding impact on victims.