(Quebec) Women’s protection groups applaud the upcoming use in Quebec of stranglehold bracelets, but at the same time call for a more comprehensive approach.
Posted at 6:57 p.m.
In a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, on the first day of public consultations on Bill 24, they asked that the problem of domestic violence be considered as a whole.
Other complementary measures must also be considered, according to Quebec Native Women.
“The bill must be more adapted to the Aboriginal reality regarding the concepts of healing and restorative justice”, illustrates the group in its brief.
In addition, police intervention in cases of domestic violence “must be carried out by a multidisciplinary team of police officers, Aboriginal workers, […] elders as well as traditional healers”.
Quebec Native Women also wonders how bracelets that use geolocation will protect women living in areas where there is no cellular network.
“This therefore means that the use of this measure in the communities does not ensure real security for Aboriginal women and girls who are victims of violence,” we are concerned.
The group also raises the fact that “the area of (the Aboriginal community) may very possibly be too small to allow for appreciable distancing for the safety of women”.
The stranglehold bracelet consists of two parts, a bracelet, worn by the offender, and a device given to the victim.
When the perpetrator of domestic violence approaches the victim, the device sends an alert signal to the police, who then make sure to secure the victim.
It is still necessary that the police respond in a “quick” time, underlines for its part the Alliance of shelters of 2and stage for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
“It is not uncommon nowadays for an event to occur at the same time as a road accident or a fire. Reaction times can be very long, ”lamented Gaëlle Fedida before the commission.
It won’t be better with a bracelet if the police can’t afford to intervene.
Gaëlle Fedida, coordinator for political files of the Alliance of second stage shelters for women and children who are victims of domestic violence
Mme Fedida also calls for victims to be better supported. She points out in passing that the emergency homes are “overflowing”.
“There are no places; there are no houses everywhere. […] We are expecting things from the next budget. »
Encouraging results
On February 2, the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, tabled Bill 24 amending the Act respecting the correctional system of Quebec.
This bill follows up on the Minister’s commitment to provide Quebec with an electronic wristband system this spring.
If passed, Bill 24 will make Quebec the seventh jurisdiction in the world to implement such a program, according to Ms.me Guilbault, which aims to eventually use 500 bracelets.
The bracelet may be imposed on criminals by judges, but also by the Quebec Commission on Conditional Liberation or directors of detention facilities.
However, it cannot be used in the case of an offender sentenced to serve a sentence in a federal penitentiary (more than two years).
On this subject, Mr.me Guilbault said he hoped that Ottawa would follow in the footsteps of the Quebec government. She intends to raise the subject with her federal counterpart at their next meeting.
Geneviève Guilbault evokes encouraging results in countries that have adopted the anti-reconciliation bracelet, such as Australia and Spain.
According to her, these countries are witnessing a “significant” reduction in harm. Consultations continue on Thursday with the Regroupement des centers pour femmes victims de violence conjugale.