Quebec must improve the handling of complaints from victims of sexual assault, in particular by establishing a specialized tribunal.
This is what the Committee of Experts on Support for Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence recommends.
In his report tabled Tuesday, he made 190 recommendations, including the establishment of a tribunal specifically and solely for this type of crime.
The committee, created in March 2019 by the former Minister of Justice Sonia LeBel, wants victims to regain confidence in the justice system, and to feel more comfortable filing a complaint.
He submitted his report to a cross-party committee of elected officials: the Minister for the Status of Women, Isabelle Charest, and opposition MPs Isabelle Melançon, Christine Labrie and Véronique Hivon.
It will be up to the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, to choose the fate of the report.
The creation of a specialized court was originally proposed by the PQ member and lawyer by training Véronique Hivon, in March 2018, in the wake of the planetary movement #Moiaussi.
“These are the victims who constantly adapt to the justice system to fit into the small boxes of a system that was not designed for them,” she said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Now, it’s time for this system to take note of their realities and adapt to them, to their realities. They too often feel foreign in this system, ”she added.
The committee recommends providing victims with a better understanding of the justice system and better training the various stakeholders involved in handling complaints.
We also ask that every victim who decides to file a complaint can benefit from a free legal advice session.
The committee estimates that a tiny fraction of domestic violence or sexual assault cases – about 5% – are reported to the police.
The Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Isabelle Charest, said Tuesday to welcome the report with “openness”. “All the work remains to be done,” she said.
“As elected representatives, our duty is to ensure that the recommendations of the report translate into concrete actions, which will have a real impact on life. […] women, ”she added.
The expert committee was co-chaired by Elizabeth Corte, who was Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec from 2009 to 2016, and Julie Desrosiers, professor at the Faculty of Law at Laval University.
Main recommendations of the experts
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