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
Air quality alerts issued as wildfire smoke spreads east from Western Canada
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
LIVE UPDATES Michael Cohen will face a bruising cross-examination by Trump's lawyers at the hush money trial
Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returns to the witness stand Tuesday for a bruising round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy license bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
Sunchips, Munchies recalled by Frito Lay Canada for possible salmonella contamination
Frito Lay Canada is recalling two of its most popular snacks due to a possible risk of salmonella contamination.
No, a best-selling American writing duo didn't pen a Galen Weston romance novel
You would be forgiven for thinking Christina Lauren's latest romance novel stars a hunky reimagining of Loblaw chairman Galen G. Weston.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'