(Montreal) It is with millions that Quebec intends to fight against sexual violence in cegeps and universities.
The Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, unveiled Monday in Montreal the details of the new five-year plan of 54 million to counter sexual violence in higher education.
The measure is timely: two separate studies indicate that more than a third of members of the college and university communities report having suffered at least one form of sexual violence since their arrival in the establishment.
The envelope of 54 million over five years represents an increase of 25 million compared to the previous budget. The lion’s share, or 37.5 million, will go directly to institutions, in particular for the establishment of one-stop shops to process cases of this nature and for the hiring of resources specialized in supporting victims of sexual violence.
The rest of the sums will go in particular to partners who will use their expertise in the field to serve the establishments, as well as for research on the phenomenon of sexual violence in institutions.
Finally, an amount of $4 million will be devoted to the safe development of certain high-risk areas identified as such in the establishments.