Quebec going ahead with electronic bracelet system to protect domestic violence victims
Quebec will implement an electronic bracelet system this spring to protect victims of conjugal violence.
The service will then be gradually rolled out to every region in the province by December 2023.
Deputy premier and public safety minister Geneviève Guilbault made the announcement Wednesday at a press conference in Quebec City, where the first electronic monitoring systems will be implemented.
Guilbaut said the monitoring devices will help women “who are stuck in that hell of domestic violence,” recapture some semblance of peace.
“If we can help women and give them back this peace of mind, the power over their own life and their autonomy, it is priceless,” Guilbault said.
The device usually consists of an ankle bracelet and a transmitter box worn by the offender, and a second box — a receiver — provided to the victim.
When the two devices are within a certain distance, in what’s called a “pre-alert” zone, the police and the offender are notified.
If after that, the two people continue to move closer to one another, police officers will travel to meet each person at their location.
The Executive Director of Shield of Athena Family Services in Montreal welcomed the news about the new protective device, however, she said it was just one of many strategies needed to fight domestic violence.
“It’s a tool that has to be used but in concert with other measures. I think it’s yet one more reinforcement for the victim,” Melpa Kamateros said.
She also said the use of the electronic bracelet takes the onus off the potential victim and places it on the shoulders of the potential abuser for a change, while at the same time benefiting them in several ways.
“Because if he does go overboard with a heinous act and he does kill the victim then he’s in a bad way himself and we’ve all seen, unfortunately, how these cases end,” she said.
“It isn’t only with the tragedy of the murder of the victim, but it’s also the tragedy of the suicide of the abuser in many cases,” Kamateros said.
The monitoring bracelets are also used in parts of the United States, in France, and in Spain.
There have been 18 femicides in Quebec in 2021, a phenomenon that advocates say has been exacerbated by the lockdown rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics Canada estimates that almost half of female homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner, compared to 6 per cent for men, according to data from 2019.
With files from CTV News' Andrew Brennan and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
BREAKING Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
BREAKING 1 dead in rollover crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont.; 5 others injured
Ontario Provincial Police confirm one person has died after a single-vehicle rollover crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont. that seriously injured five others.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street