In 2022, a network of specialized courts<\/a> was launched under the jurisdiction of the provincial justice ministry to handle only cases of intimate partner violence and sexual violence: Last fall Montreal became the 25th of Quebec\u2019s 36 judicial districts to establish such a court. C\u00f4t\u00e9 Cour\u2019s mission and organizational base were redefined and it became part of the health and social service network exclusively as the \u00c9quipe VCI: Former C\u00f4t\u00e9 Cour workers are part of this new team.<\/p>\n Clients may choose to attend 12 meetings \u201cin which we talk about what they want to,\u201d Chengberlin said. Among topics discussed could be the notion of coercive control, in a bid \u201cto help them to understand that what they are experiencing is violence.<\/p>\n \u201cSo workers are in a position to make victims more aware.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a number of measures, intimate partner violence has increased in the past several years: Police-reported cases of this form of violence in Quebec jumped by 28 per cent between 2018 and 2024, according to data from Statistics Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for a global surge, with the United Nations referring to the phenomenon as a shadow pandemic<\/a>. And new arrivals are often more isolated<\/a> and vulnerable to intimate partner violence.<\/p>\n And technology \u2014\u00a0think smartphones, computers and connected smart home devices that track and monitor \u2014 has made it possible for violence to continue even after a relationship has ended, Chengberlin said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a new way for young people to maintain control even if they are not together anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is taking place more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n I think of education as the basis of everything. What can we do to reduce intimate partner violence?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSari Chengberlin Not having access to services one needs makes a victim more vulnerable, she said, and among the challenges faced by someone wanting to leave an abusive relationship is a shortage of affordable rental accommodations.<\/p>\n Not everyone who leaves a violent situation wants to go to an emergency shelter or use specialized resources \u2014 \u201cand, even if they do, it\u2019s hard to find a place,\u201d Chengberlin said. Same issue with second-stage, or transitional, housing \u2014 a safe living arrangement designed for individuals and families leaving crisis situations. Waiting lists are ubiquitous, and languishing on a waiting list rarely bodes well.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I have to wait several months, I might return to an abusive situation because I don\u2019t have enough money to live on my own or, if I have been on a waiting list for mental health help for months, my situation can get worse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Many people already feel a measure of ambivalence about leaving, she said. Advice and support from a professional could be helpful \u201cbut if they don\u2019t have access to a professional, it\u2019s hard to stay ambivalent long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n Clients who aren\u2019t prepared to attend 12 meetings or who don\u2019t necessarily consider themselves victims of intimate partner violence can meet a few times with an \u00c9quipe VCI member to decide on next steps, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think of education as the basis of everything. What can we do to reduce intimate partner violence? The more professionals can screen for it and detect it, the better protected we are. That means knowing to ask questions,\u201d Chengberlin said.<\/p>\n It means being trained to know what questions to ask, as members of the \u00c9quipe VCI are, and being alert to the possibility of intimate partner violence and any escalation in potential danger to a client, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all want to keep an open door for the people who don\u2019t recognize that they are in a violent relationship \u2014 to serve as an entry portal for them.\u201d<\/p>\n People facing intimate partner violence can contact SOS Violence Conjugale<\/a> 24 hours a day at 1-800-363-9010<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClinical activities specialist, \u00c9quipe VCI <\/p>\n
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