Throughout the day, our project management coordinator, Jessica Cantin-Nantel, observed the enthusiasm of the partners and their pride in the work accomplished together. The pleasure of meeting in person was palpable during the workshop led by the Formation d'interventions concertées en exploitation sexuelle de Lanaudière (FICESL) subcommittee, which reports to the Comité régional en exploitation sexuelle de Lanaudière (CRESL). In addition to social workers and police officers from the FICESL committee of the Repentigny police department, participants included representatives from the Director of Youth Protection (DPJ), CALACS La Chrysalide, the Mascouche police department and Travail de rue le Trajet. 
This workshop included a presentation of one of the video modules used to provide training in sexual exploitation to community, institutional and legal counsellors in Lanaudière. These videos explain the attitudes and interventions adapted to the specific issues at each stage of the cycle of engagement in cases of sexual exploitation.

Another workshop, led by the TiVSL’s Designated Centres Committee, focused on the trajectory of medico-social intervention services offered in designated centres in the Lanaudière region. Our coordinator of medico-social intervention, Gabrielle Arthurs, was invited to present the different ways in which designated centres are organized in Quebec and to answer questions about current medico-social intervention practices.

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It's important to highlight the essential role that regional or local intersectoral committees play in providing consistent and appropriate services to victims of sexual violence. The Journée régionale pour contrer la violence sexuelle was an opportunity to take stock of all the work that has been accomplished, but also to recommend best practices  that should be adopted throughout the province. The networking that we observed during this event is certain to have a beneficial impact for victims.

If you would like to learn more about the creation of this regional table and the genuine change it has brought to Lanaudière, or if you would like to start an intersectoral committee  in your community, please contact the following people: 

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• France Clément, CALACS La Chrysalide

Telephone: 450 964-7888 

Email: fclement@calacslachrysalide.ca 

 

• Annick Girard, CALACS Coup de cœur 

Telephone: 450 756-4999, poste 102 

Email : a.girard@calacscoupdecoeur.com 

 

• Christiane Courchesne, CAVAC de Lanaudière 

Telephone: 450 755-6127, poste 222 

Email: christianecourchesne@cavaclanaudiere.com 

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The role of intersectoral committees is to:  

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•    assess the needs of sexual assault victims in the region and describe the status of existing services;  
•    establish the location(s) of designated centres and determine their operations based on an analysis of the environment;  
•    ensure access to services;  
•    raise public awareness of sexual assault and the services offered by the designated centres;  
•    promote the services offered by the designated centres to organizations likely to receive requests from victims;  
•    ensure cooperation between the various organizations working in the field of sexual assault;  
•    break the isolation of the various partners;  
•    establish concrete agreements between partners to ensure continuity of services to victims of sexual assault;  
•    plan training for the region’s counsellors.

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An intersectoral committee includes representatives of organizations with expertise in the field of sexual assault.

Pour un rappel des meilleures pratiques, nous vous invitons à consulter le Protocole d’intervention médicosociale : organisation des services et grandes lignes de l’intervention, 2010, p. 15-16. 

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The Support Service would like to thank Table intersectorielle en matière de violence sexuelle de Lanaudière for its invitation. Our best wishes for the future success of the Journée régionale pour contrer la violence sexuelle!

 

The Support Service team
Allied with designated centres across Québec