After #MeToo, Canada sees sharp increase in sexual assault complaints
MONTREAL — The number of sexual assault complaints filed with police and classified as founded increased sharply in Canada after the #MeToo movement went viral in October 2017.
The increase was most pronounced in Quebec, according to a study published Thursday by Statistics Canada.
Researchers compared two periods — before #MeToo from Jan. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017, and after from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017.
Quebec saw the largest increase in sexual assaults reported to police, rising 61 per cent after #MeToo. The rate jumped to 20 complaints per 100,000 population from 12.4.