About one child in ten in Quebec has been reported to the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DYP) in the past year.
“The findings of the balance sheet are very worrying,” said the director of youth protection at the CIUSSS Center-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Assunta Gallo, at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
A total of 135,000 reports were made in Quebec for the year 2022-2023. The Montreal region has seen the largest increase in reports in the province over the past year, going from 17,584 to 19,676.
“It can be explained by different elements, such as greater family distress. Over the years, we have seen an increase in domestic violence and intra-family violence. Also, we have had denunciations of a sexual nature which are on the rise in Montreal, ”detailed Ms.me Gallo.
More than 2,000 reports retained in Montreal are related to neglect, followed by 1,523 reports related to physical abuse. Psychological abuse comes third with 1,463 reports.
Among the reports made in Montreal, 13,314 were not retained by the DPJ. “When I see such a high number of reports that are not retained, it speaks to me of a need for services,” says Ms.me Gallo.