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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.