Record number of Quebec Youth Protection cases
Posted June 18, 2024 1:27 pm.
Last Updated June 18, 2024 1:29 pm.
The Quebec Youth Protection Services (DPJ) presented their 21st annual report Tuesday.
There were 134,000 calls made and 31 per cent of those cases were retained and treated.
In 2023-2024, the DPJ Centre-Sud-de-Montréal reached record of 15,000 reports.
According to the report, the Batshaw Youth and Family Centre received 5,497 reports this year.
Linda See is the Director of Youth Protection at the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-L’île-de-Montréal.
She said that there’s been an increase of 114 per cent over the last 10 years of children going into youth protection.
“When children are victims or witness of this violence between their parents, there can be serious consequences for their emotional well-being and physical safety,” said See. “In addition to the emotional and social consequences, there are also concrete risks to their immediate safety, as living in an environment of conjugal violence is also put some at risk of physical abuse and mistreatment.”
In 2023-2024, 100,258 children were subjected to at least one report, or 6.13 per cent of kids aged 0 to 17. Last year, they represented 6.06 per cent.
Of Quebec children 0 to 17 years old, 2.66 per cent were taken into the DPJ’s care compared to 2.64 per cent in 2022-2023.
“These statistics show that child abuse in Quebec is still very much a reality. The impact of child abuse
on these children is considerable and they are in a situation where they need protection,” reads the report.
In Montreal, 1,732 children are being followed by Batshaw’s services.
See explained that, “543 or 31.5 per cent of children are being followed for conjugal violence and psychological maltreatment.”
In March 2024, 51.4 per cent of children in the care of the DPJ were living with their families, while 16.9 per cent were living with significant others.
In 2023, reports of exposure to domestic violence accounted for 12.5 per cent of all reports received in Quebec.
According to the report, “the number of reports received for exposure to domestic violence has more than doubled in 10 years, rising from just over 8,000 in 2014 to just over 17,000 in 2023.”
