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When it comes to the numbers on violence against women, there's plenty to be alarmed about.

Almost four in 10 adult offenders convicted of sexual assault in New Brunswick were given conditional sentences in 2005-2006. The rate for Canada was less than two in 10.

Conditional sentences were not as popular for other violent crimes -- it was given to one in 10 adult offenders in our province, one in 20 nationally.

It is one of the more startling statistics in the 2008 Report Card on the Status of Women in New Brunswick published this month by the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

The conditional sentencing statistic is especially shocking when we consider that the conditional sentence option, introduced in 1996, was not originally intended for use in violent crimes.

Commonly known as house arrest since it can include that condition, the sentence allows some offenders to serve their time in the community under supervision. Other conditions imposed can include reporting to a supervisor, paying restitution or reparations, participating in treatment, not using alcohol or drugs, and not possessing a weapon. The sentence can be followed by probation.

Why are conditional sentences being used for violent crimes like sexual assault and spousal abuse? In what kind of situations are judges imposing these sentences?

What is the success rate of the programs offered to offenders who receive them? Do treatment programs deal with the gender power issues involved in situations of violence?

Are community-level supervisory resources adequate to protect victims and potential victims?

A recent Criminal Code amendment bans use of conditional sentences for indictable offences punishable by 10 years or more -- such as aggravated sexual assault or assault with a weapon -- but that doesn't mean it will be out of bounds for all sexual assault or spousal abuse cases, since many are summary convictions punishable by lesser sentences.

We have a sketchy picture at best of the prevalence and impact of sexual assault and of abuse at the hands of a current or ex-partner. These crimes are notoriously under-reported because so many victims live in fear and shame.

The list of what we don't know grew even longer recently because of the provincial government's decision to discontinue the publication of its annual family violence statistical report. Since the early 1990s, this report has presented valuable statistics from various departments and policing agencies on reported incidents of woman abuse, police response and sentencing outcomes.

Part of the problem is the unavailability of RCMP statistics for 2005, due to changeover to a new RCMP data system, leaving just reported incident numbers from New Brunswick's nine municipal police forces. But sentencing data is still collected, though no longer compiled.

There seems to be no plan yet to replace the discontinued publication. Processing all that raw data is no doubt labour-intensive and not without its challenges. But a government measures what it considers important.

Initiatives to improve data collection and dissemination must be included in the provincial government's ongoing action plan to address violence against women. How else can we monitor the effectiveness of policies and programs, especially the prevention efforts that are so desperately needed?

In 2004, when data for all New Brunswick police forces was available, 877 founded incidents of woman abuse were reported to police. The nine municipal forces -- in towns from Bathurst to Saint John -- handled 341 founded incidents of woman abuse in 2005.

From information provided to the Statistics Canada Transition Home Survey, we know that 1,447 women with 757 children fled in 2005/06 to transition houses and other residential facilities that shelter victims of violence. The numbers show no signs of dropping off over the past dozen years and the network of transition houses and second-stage housing has expanded.

A profile of the women who found refuge in our province's 13 transition houses in 2005/06 shows that two out of three were 40 years old or younger, while half of the children accompanying them were under six years of age. More than half of the women were living on income assistance or had no income at all. Almost half of the residents had experienced abuse as a child, and almost as many had witnessed it as a child.

Elder abuse is a universal problem that has only recently come out of the shadows. It can be physical or sexual assault, emotional abuse, failure to provide adequate food or care and financial exploitation. The victims are often frail and vulnerable, depending on others to meet their most basic needs. The abusers may be the care givers, often family members. Self-neglect is also a problem.

In New Brunswick, Adult Protection Services receives and investigates reports of suspected elder abuse, neglect and self-neglect and doesn't distinguish between them in their statistics. Moreover, because financial exploitation is not currently recognized as abuse in the province's Family Services Act, the Department only steps in if there is also neglect or physical abuse, sexual, or emotional abuse.

Reported cases of abuse, neglect and self-neglect combined are up significantly in 2006/07 compared to previous years: 248 senior women compared to 179 the previous year, versus 149 senior men, compared to 81 the previous year.

Improved intervener training using the updated provincial Adult Victims of Abuse Protocols and heightened community awareness has probably contributed to this increase in reporting. Just imagine how the numbers would climb if there were more outreach services and mandatory reporting of senior abuse and neglect.

When it comes to violence against women, the existing numbers allow us to glimpse just the tip of the iceberg. Producing more and better statistics must be a key part of efforts to address the problem.

n Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, of Moncton, is Chairperson of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Her column on women's issues appears in the Times & Transcript every Thursday. She may be reached via e-mail at acswcccf@gnb.ca