To create both a safety net and a solid protective shield, the Group of shelters for women victims of domestic violence has decided to put an end to the culture of compartmentalization. He has begun a major tour of Quebec: in each region, he brings together in the same room all those who work with victims of coercive control, including Crown prosecutors, police officers and various stakeholders, to give them the opportunity to lay the foundations for valuable collaborations in the field. Last Tuesday, The duty had exclusive access to the Outaouais regional seminar.
The large room of a community center in Gatineau was full and the watchword was: collaboration. A large contingent of police officers from the City of Gatineau and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) were there.
Regional working sessions have already taken place in several regions, such as in Montérégie and on the North Shore. Rather than having uniform guidelines on paper for the entire province, the initiative connects those who protect victims in a region, and adapts to their particular situation: is there one or twelve shelters? Are the services offered well known to everyone?
“Several professionals will cross paths with a victim, but none can respond alone to all their needs or have an overall picture of the situation and the risks. It is through collaboration that it is possible to deploy effective safety nets and support, whatever the trajectory of women,” emphasizes M.e Karine Barrette, project manager for Improvement of judicial practice within the Regroupement.
The idea for these regional forums was formed after witnessing “what worked well on the ground,” she explained. In Rouyn-Noranda, for example, “close collaboration” between different actors in the judicial system produces very good results. She noted better care for victims. Some even exchange cell phone numbers to intervene more quickly.
Putting everyone around the same table allows you to get to know each other, understand each person’s areas of intervention and share best practices that help others in their work.
For example, shelter workers sometimes do not understand why the police do not act in certain cases. Such a forum can give law enforcement the opportunity to explain that the law prohibits them from certain interventions, but that they can take other actions.
At the forum, everyone was invited to discover the services offered by help and shelter homes, and they looked at cases of fictitious victims to understand where they fit into the support chain.
Recognize coercive control
The idea is also to train all stakeholders in the legal sector — including lawyers, judges and police officers — so that the concept of coercive control is well understood, explained Annick Brazeau, president of the Regroupement. It is not a new form of domestic violence, she says, but rather an expanded vision that takes into account everything that is used to violate, humiliate and maintain domination over a victim. Coercive control isn’t always visible, like bruises, so it’s important for everyone to know what it is, to recognize the signs — and to have the words to name it, adds Mme Brazeau.
If police officers are familiar with the concept of coercive control, they will note all the essential elements in their reports, which will then help Crown prosecutors lay charges or obtain protection orders.
The efforts are already bearing fruit: stakeholders are noticing more and more mentions of signs of coercive control in police reports. The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) also modified last year one of its directives to Crown prosecutors — VIO-1 — to incorporate the notion of coercive control, which prosecutors must take into account when An accused requests his release.
Women’s protection groups continue to push for coercive control to be recognized as an offense in its own right in the Criminal Code. But while waiting for this to become reality, the groups continue to prepare the ground, underlines Mme Brazeau.