Sexual violence most common type of complaint filed with Quebec's new student ombudsman

Children raise their hand in a classroom. (Narongchai Hlawprasert/Adobe Stock Photo/CNN)

Sexual violence in schools is the most common type of complaint filed with Quebec's student ombudsman, new figures show.

As the newly created institution compiles data ahead of its annual report, a representative said handling the complaints during the first year of operation has been more complicated than expected.

"While we maybe expected there to be quite a bit of complaints related to violence, intimidation, and sexual violence as you see in those numbers, as we actually address those situations and we do our inquiries, we’re finding they’re really, really complex in terms of the number of students involved, the various events that have happened, and what schools are dealing with right now," said Maia Aziz, a regional student advocate in Montreal, in an interview on Monday.

Aziz is one of 17 student advocates tasked with assisting the Protecteur national de l'élève (Provincial Student Ombudsman).

Lawyer Jean-François Bernier was appointed to the position in June 2022 by the Quebec government following the passage of Bill 9.

He is responsible for handling complaints from students and parents relating to educational institutions.

Figures provided to CTV News show that his office received 1,097 complaints between Aug. 28, 2023, to Aug. 10, 2024.

The majority (10.74 per cent) were related to sexual violence.

Just under 8.5 per cent were for intimidation and violence other than sexual violence.

The third most common type of complaint was for rules of conduct, policies and regulations.

Aziz said while the provincial trend has sexual violence complaints at the top of the list, the same can be said for the Montreal region as well.

"The fact that we have so many complaints, unfortunately, is also a testament to not only the need, but the building awareness and people's willingness to talk," she said, "That, of course, is the big message. That people need to know about this recourse in order to be able to take advantage, for us to try to address these situations as quickly as we can and effectively."

The new figures come as students head back to class for the 2024-2025 school year. 

The ombudsman is expected to release his first annual report in early 2025, along with recommendations for the Ministry of Education.

The Provincial Student Ombudsman's mandate covers preschool, primary and secondary education, as well as homeschooling, vocational training and adult education.

According to the government, the position is responsible for defending the "rights of the approximately 1.3 million students and their parents" in the province.

Students and parents can file a complaint by visiting the Protecteur national de l'élève website. 

-- with files from CTV Montreal's Jared Lackman-Mincoff.