'Very worrying': 1 in 10 children in Quebec were the subject of youth protection reports

In 2022-2023, the directors of Quebec's youth protection departments handled 135,839 reports, which they consider "very worrying."

In other words, almost 1 in 10 young people aged 0 to 17 were the subject of a report. And the proportion is similar in Montreal, noted Assunta Gallo, Director of Youth Protection at CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'île-de-Montréal, during a meeting with the press on Tuesday.

"Reports are still on the rise in the metropolis," Gallo stressed. In her Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) alone, the increase is 13 per cent, or 14,649 reports processed.

The DYP attributes the situation to various factors, such as domestic and intra-family violence, housing problems and economic difficulties.

The Laurent Commission, which was set up following the tragic death of the Granby girl, has also raised public awareness of the issue of child abuse.

In general, youth protection departments are currently facing a staff shortage, resulting in delays and waiting lists, noted Gallo and her counterpart Linda See of CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on June 13, 2023.