The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) sends a clear message for the feast of love. “Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you have the right to sex,” reads her Facebook page.
Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t “mean she has to send you intimate pictures, that you can decide what clothes she wears to dinner, that she has to accept your apologize for previous acts of violence, nor that you have the right to break restraining orders, ”adds the SQ.
Indeed, the feast of love is not always rosy. According to a study by the University of Calgary, published in 2017, cases of domestic violence are more likely to occur on certain days of the year, particularly during holidays and holidays.
The professor behind the study, Lana Wells, declared in 2019, in an interview with Radio-Canada, that there is a “significant statistical link between Valentine’s Day and higher rates of domestic violence”, which would increase by “20 %” during the feast of love.
A message to men
Particularly well received by the population, the publication of the SQ was shared more than 16,000 times on Monday afternoon.
Users consider the text “very relevant” and thank the SQ for this “beautiful message” of prevention.
Others appreciate that the message is aimed at men. “For too long, women have been addressed by asking them to protect themselves, to change… The evolution of the discourse is necessary! “, underlines in comment Gadelle Samard La Montagne.
The text has indeed been voluntarily “feminized to underline the gendered nature of the problem”, but the SQ affirms that this “does not exclude that there is violence exercised against men”.
The publication of the SQ is reminiscent of that of SOS violence conjugale, published last Friday, stressing that Valentine’s Day gifts should not erase the errors and violent behavior of his or her partner.
“Apologies and kindnesses do not erase past violent behavior, it does not balance the relationship, it can even be a way of forcing the other to ‘move on'”, wrote the community organization. .
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can call the SOS violence conjugale hotline at 1 800 363-9010.
If you are a victim of sexual violence, you can contact a center for assistance and the fight against sexual assault (CALACS) near you. Click here to see the list or call the Sexual Violence Info-aid line at 1 888 933-9007.