Opposition MPs and filmmakers Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist demanded Monday that the government act to counter cyberviolence against women, in particular by introducing mandatory training for police officers on the issue.
“Premier Legault, will it take a cyber attacker to walk the talk and kill a woman for you to take action and truly end misogyny online?” “said Ms. Clermont-Dion during a press briefing at the National Assembly. The latter directed with Mrs. Maroist the feature documentary I salute you bitch which follows the journey of four women from different countries who have received messages and threats on the Internet for several years.
One of the protagonists, Laurence Gratton, was also present to testify to the online harassment she experienced for five years. After the release of the film on September 9, her “aggressor returned to the charge”, she said. “I went back to the police and, again, they refused to take my complaint. I was told she posed no real threat, and even today I’m scared. I can not stand it anymore. »
The petition Stop cyber violence therefore asks the Quebec government to make training on online harassment mandatory for police officers and thus enable them to better receive complaints. “Cyberviolence has concrete, real impacts in real life, and not just in virtual life,” said Ruba Ghazal, Quebec Solidarity MP in Mercier.
Quebec elected officials must also put pressure on the federal government to adopt a law “forcing the giants of the web to remove hateful content under penalty of a substantial fine”, claims the petition.
According to Léa Clermont-Dion, the Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette has “an opening” in relation to claims concerning online harassment. “But we still think that there is popular pressure that must be sent. »
Further details will follow.
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