Increased support for youth victims of sexual violence in Montréal

Montréal – Canadians expect to live in a society where the justice system supports the needs of victims. This is especially important when it comes to youth victims of sexual violence. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Sameer Zuberi, MP for Pierrefonds–Dollard, and Stéphanie Gareau, Executive Director of the Centre d’appui aux enfants et à la jeunesse de Marie-Vincent, announced a funding to Marie-Vincent. These funds will improve access to the Centre Marie-Vincent’s services for youth victims and their families in Montréal. This centre brings together under one roof all the services required to meet the needs of youth victims of sexual violence: police, medical, psychosocial and therapeutic services.

The Department of Justice Canada will provide $498,685 in funding over 5 years (2023-2028) to the Centre d’appui aux enfants et à la jeunesse de Marie-Vincent for its project under the Child and Youth Advocacy Centres Initiative of the Victims Fund. As a result of this funding, the Centre Marie-Vincent will be able to:

• increase access to its services for youth victims of sexual violence;
• consolidate under one roof its offering of police, medical, psychosocial, and therapeutic services;
• reduce the wait times for services so that young people have timely access to supports for their physical and mental well-being; and
• consolidate the services offered in cooperation with its partnerships, and foster new partnerships, in order to better support youth victims of sexual violence in Montréal.