Violence against girls in Montreal\u2019s schools is on the rise, at the same time chronic underfunding and staff shortages are straining the public education system, according to union leaders and public health experts.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The F\u00e9d\u00e9ration des employ\u00e9es et employ\u00e9s de services publics (FEESP-CSN) says the situation has become \u201cuntenable,\u201d with staff at their limits and students increasingly exposed to bullying, sexualized aggression, and other forms of violence.<\/p>\n
Online culture and social pressures fuel aggression<\/p>\n
Annie Charland, president of the School Support Sector of the FEESP-CSN, linked the surge to broader societal influences amplified online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of misogynistic videos\u2014that are currently circulating on TikTok, Facebook, pretty much every platform, where you see men saying, \u2018No, women need to go back to the kitchen and they need to listen to their husbands and all that.\u2019 We\u2019re seeing a rise in that right now. So, of course, our teens are seeing it, and they\u2019re getting caught up in it too. So I think for girls, that\u2019s one of the major issues we\u2019re seeing right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Experts say social media allows harassment to follow students home, turning schools into a 24-hour battleground. Ariane de Palacio, agent for planning, programming, and research at Montreal\u2019s regional public health directorate, highlighted the new reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a 24 hours kind of cycle of violence that can follow a kid home. Whereas before, you know, when you had one fight or one incident at school where it was kind of contained. And it didn\u2019t follow that kid for you know, days, weeks and everywhere they go. So now they have a cell phone, everything that they can, they\u2019re exposed to in terms of violence follows them everywhere,\u201d De Palacio explained.<\/p>\n
Staff shortages leave students unprotected<\/p>\n
Charland said a lack of personnel makes it impossible to provide proper support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support staff covers 81 job categories\u2026 But we\u2019re really lacking resources for people who work directly with the students\u2014like special education technicians. They\u2019re firefighters; they put out fires,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She cited examples across schools, from daycare to specialized education programs.<\/p>\n
Funding gap worsens crisis<\/p>\n
Quebec\u2019s government recently touted a 2.4 per cent increase in education funding, but Charland explained the reality for public schools is far different.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not really 2.4 per cent\u2014the 0.9 per cent actually comes from the government, but the rest comes from our local initiatives, from funds that are going to be allocated, from the private sector that\u2019s going to help out and provide support. We often get money coming in, like for breakfast in the morning, but the food aid comes from the private sector and other sources.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that immediate funding is critical to prevent crises and provide adequate services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more staff to work specifically on prevention with our children. We need to have the time to work with them, and we need to have the time to provide them with quality services. I mean, I think the government always tells us that yes, it\u2019s providing more funding, it\u2019s providing money, but we mustn\u2019t forget that we had more students before that\u2014the number has increased\u2014and we have many more students with challenges. Our student population has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charland also criticized the provincial budget\u2019s limited allocation to schools, saying the network is \u201calready lacking resources\u201d and staff are increasingly victims of violence themselves. She added that much of the reported funding never reaches school boards directly, leaving critical services under-resourced.<\/p>\n
Public health data confirms concerning trends<\/p>\n
According to the EQSJS survey analyzed by de Palacio, Montreal students experienced a long-term decline in school violence over the past two decades (2010\u20132011 to 2022\u20132023), but recent data show a reversal, particularly among girls and younger students (Secondary 2 and 3).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing an increase in victimization but also in aggression and violence. So as well, you know, as much on the victimization side as well as the perpetrator side. And this really is kind of a shift from a strong downward trend that had been going on for about 20-25 years,\u201d de Palacio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat shift, that increase was mainly concentrated among girls. So what we saw with boys was that after a strong decrease you have kind of a stagnation between the last two editions of this survey. Whereas with girls you had that strong decrease, well you didn\u2019t have as stronger decrease but then we have an increase,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The survey found that most students do not experience violence at school or on the way there\u201462 per cent of girls and 56 per cent of boys\u2014but a minority report frequent violence (8 per cent of girls and 10 per cent of boys). Younger students, boys, and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds face higher risks.<\/p>\n
Consequences for mental health and academic success<\/p>\n
Victimized students face higher risks of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other emotional challenges, which can affect engagement and success in school.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolence has a strong impact on all of those factors\u2026 anxiety, depression are very strongly associated with victimization. Also in terms of feeling of safety, feeling that the school environment is supporting\u2026 all of those factors that really favor academic success and just a good and happy life in school are impacted by violence. So it\u2019s indirect, but it\u2019s very, very present,\u201d de Palacio said.<\/p>\n
She noted that while boys still experience higher overall levels of aggression, the negative consequences of victimization have intensified for girls in recent years.<\/p>\n
Protective factors and prevention<\/p>\n
The survey also highlighted factors that can protect young people from violence and its consequences:<\/p>\n
Good mental health<\/p>\n
High self-esteem<\/p>\n
Well-developed personal and social skills<\/p>\n
Prosocial peers and strong parental supervision<\/p>\n
Strong social support at school, within families, and in the community<\/p>\n
Montreal schools already have prevention programs, anti-bullying plans, and thematic activities, but experts say these efforts need to be strengthened and better integrated across the city to ensure a comprehensive, flexible approach tailored to students\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n
Calls for urgent action<\/p>\n
Union leaders and public health experts are calling for immediate measures to protect students, including stronger funding, more specialized staff, and integrated prevention programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more staff who are qualified to work with these students. Of course, we\u2019re asking for more people, more money, and more financial resources to make this happen,\u201d Charland said. <\/p>\n
De Palacio emphasized the importance of a safety net around students, particularly the most vulnerable, involving collaboration between professionals, institutional partners, and community-based organizations to prevent violence and build resilience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Violence against girls in Montreal\u2019s schools is on the rise, at the same time chronic underfunding and staff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-569008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}