Future police officers in CEGEP getting workshops on domestic violence
The Federation of Women's Shelters (FMHF) has launched a series of training workshops this week, on domestic and sexual violence for future police officers and social workers.
In all, 450 to 500 students from five CEGEPs across Quebec will receive a two-hour training session entitled 'Towards an Egalitarian and Violence-Free Society: The Allied CEGEP Tour', where they will also have the opportunity to speak with experienced workers.
"There are a lot of myths about the dynamics of abusive relationships," said project leader Élisabeth Viens Brouillard in a telephone interview. She hopes that future officers will be able to "better conduct interventions and better accompany victims."
Viens Brouillard said "the lack of training in sexual violence, conjugal violence and mental health is really the heart of the matter."
The first class she visited on Monday was made up of second-year police technology students at CEGEP Outaouais.
"They had not yet seen the cycle of domestic violence, which is quite basic and important to know," she said, adding that the subject "seemed very new to them."
"The difference between a conflict, a dispute, I could see that was also a pretty grey area too, so we really had to talk about it in more depth," she said.
Nevertheless, she said that the session "went very well. It was very constructive, we had some good discussions."
MORE TRAINING PLANNED
The workshops, funded by the Secrétariat à la condition féminine du Québec, will be held over several months in the Outaouais, Garneau, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke and Ahuntsic CEGEPs.
They'll be given in classes that teach policing, social work, special education, and delinquency intervention techniques.
"We hope that next year we will be able to offer a full day of training" in more institutions, said Viens Brouillard.
She would also like to expand the program to other areas. "I've been contacted by several people, including those who teach communications studies," whose students will eventually become journalists and will need to be able to "use the right words and be able to describe a violent situation" in their articles.
Last week, Quebec mourned its 17th femicide of the year, following the murder of 24-year-old Montrealer Romane Bonnier, allegedly by her ex-partner.
Meanwhile, Bill 92, which aims to create a 'specialized court' for sexual violence and conjugal violence, is being studied in the National Assembly.
If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, you can call SOS violence conjugale at 1 800 363-9010 for support and to speak with advocates. This is an anonymous, toll-free line available at all times.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.