The telephone line set up to respond to relatives of young people at risk of falling into violence has only received 89 calls in six months, or less than four calls per week.
The RENFORT line, which received $800,000 from the City of Montreal for two years, is managed by the Center for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence (CPRLV).
It was presented, when it was launched in June 2023, as another route than the police for parents who are worried about their teenager’s change in behavior or bad company, for example. The speakers, who can respond in seven languages, are trained in active listening, helping relationships and suicide prevention, and they may have a background in psychology or criminology.
Given the low number of calls, is this a truly useful and necessary service?
The five responders responsible for answering calls also devote themselves to prevention activities and work to build links with the community in order to publicize the service, responds the director of the CPRLV, Roselyne Mavungu.
“You have to establish a bond of trust,” she explains. We answer calls, but we also need a physical presence in the community. We prepare workshops that meet the needs of families, to better understand armed violence, vulnerability factors, and the world of street gangs. »
Mistrust
Pierreson Vaval, who leads the team of speakers, emphasizes that it is not easy to overcome distrust in certain communities.
The people who are targeted by this line are often afraid of the police, the DPJ, the schools, they are afraid of all the actors in the system. This is why local links are needed to reach them.
Pierreson Vaval, director of armed violence prevention at the CPRLV
Those who contact the REINFORT line may be, for example, parents worried about their teenager changing his attitude, associating with unsavory people, or taking drugs.
In these cases, one of the recommendations made to parents is not to cut ties with the young person, but to keep the channels of communication open. “Those who try to lead young people into criminal activities generally try to isolate them from their environment to have more influence and better control them,” notes Pierreson Vaval.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The director of armed violence prevention at the CPRLV, Pierreson Vaval
Does the low use of the telephone line, set up following the Forum on the fight against armed violence in spring 2022, disappoint municipal elected officials?
The situation does not concern Josefina Blanco, responsible for the social inclusion file on the executive committee.
Mme Blanco says she is happy with the number of calls. “This means that these families were able to receive adequate and personalized follow-up,” she underlined, saying she was aware that it takes a little time to make the service known.
Organizations representing ethnic communities and religious leaders have invited RENFORT line workers to meet them to discuss the service, which will help increase its notoriety, indicates Roselyne Mavungu.
The RENFORT line can be reached at 514 653-6363, weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.