Marie-Vincent and the Barreau du Québec are pleased to announce an innovative partnership intended to provide more complete support to young victims of sexual violence throughout their socio-judicial journey. This alliance will offer professionals in the legal system, including members of the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales, specialized training courses developed by Marie-Vincent. The partnership was announced in the presence of Québec’s Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, along with Caroline Claveau, President of the provincial bar association, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, spokesperson for Marie-Vincent, Jessica Pathy, Chairman of the Board, and the general manager of Marie-Vincent, Stéphanie Gareau.
The training courses, which are now listed in the bar association’s continuing education catalogue, include the workshop “Supporting a Child Victim of Sexual Violence and Their Family Throughout the Socio-Judiciary Process.” Participants also receive the illustrated book (Un pas a la fois avec Lou), which was created to help children and their families understand the steps comprised in the socio-judicial process and the roles of the different professionals involved. A complete support kit is provided with the book to enable caseworkers to better support both child and family along the way.
To facilitate access to these resources, a 2D animated version of the illustrated book, narrated by Marie-Vincent spokesperson Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, is also available. The project was made possible by funding of $250,000 over three years from the Ministère de la Justice du Québec.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Québec
“Providing better support and assistance to children and teenagers who are victims of sexual violence is a priority for our government. When victims are ready to come forward or file a complaint, it’s crucial that they have access to trained professionals who can provide empathetic, gentle and sensitive support. We are proud to support this partnership between Marie-Vincent and the Barreau du Québec, which will better equip sociolegal professionals to respond to the needs of victims.”
Catherine Claveau, bâtonnière du Québec (president of the Québec Bar)
“The Barreau du Québec oversees the practice of law to ensure the quality of the legal services provided by the 30,500 lawyers who are members of the Order. One of the ways it does this is by making 30 hours of continuing education compulsory every two years. Lawyers are required to take varied training that covers all aspects of their practice, including support for child victims of sexual violence, a highly vulnerable client group. We are delighted to partner with Marie-Vincent and are sure our alliance will have a tangible effect on the training of lawyers in this field. Navigating the legal landscape is no simple task, and lawyers can do a great deal to ease the ordeal. By combining our respective areas of expertise, we are working together to offer quality justice in keeping with the needs of the public.”
Stéphanie Gareau, general manager, Marie-Vincent
“Secondary victimization inflicts further psychological and emotional harm on young victims of sexual violence. During the legal process, a child may have to repeat the story of the assault 5 to 10 times on average to different people. With this training course and its accompanying kit, Marie-Vincent hopes to raise awareness among socio-judicial workers and strengthen the skills they need to support children and their families making their way through the justice system. The partnership with the Barreau du Québec will make our training available to more lawyers, thus helping us pursue our objective of building a protective community for children and youths.”
Member of the Barreau du Québec ? Register here.
