New initiative to train professionals working with victims of domestic violence

A new initiative to train frontline professionals who work with victims of domestic violence was launched Monday in Montreal.

A first of its kind in Quebec, the Echo Institute will offer training programs aimed to improve how victims of domestic violence are supported. The programs are targeted at social workers, police, health workers and employers and unions.

“All professionals, at some point in their career, will work with victims of domestic violence whether they know it or not,” said Camille Pratt-Dumas, training officer for the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale (RMFVVC). “So we want to make sure every professional is equipped.”

In its first phase, the Institute targets four areas: the community sector, the judicial sector, the health and social services sector, as well as employers and unions.

Founded by the RMFVVC, a women’s rights and advocacy organization, the institute will be led by Mathilde Trou.

According to the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee report released by the Quebec coroner’s office in November 2024, nearly 70 per cent victims were in contact with a healthcare or social worker or the police.

Annick Brazeau, president of the RMFVVC, said in a press release, “By being in contact with (victims), professionals are in a privileged position to make a difference.”

It’s an opinion shared by Marie-Claude Richer, director of Rebâtir, a legal consultation service for victims of domestic violence, who told CityNews that lawyers often act as a first line of defence able to refer victims to law enforcement or to health care services.

“Often, the lawyer will be called first, and they will be the one to receive the disclosure of domestic violence,” she said. “The more we talk about it in the media, the more victims will say, ‘oh, there are organizations out there. I’m not alone.'”

The launch of the institute comes at a time both Canada and Quebec have seen record levels of domestic violence.

After reaching their highest levels in 2023, the number of police-reported domestic violence incidents in Canada remained at record levels last year, according to Statistics Canada data released last month. In 2024, there were 187 victims of family homicide — 100 of which were intimate partner homicide.

Quebec saw nearly 30 per cent increase in family violence since 2018 — the highest among provinces. Both family violence and intimate partner violence in Quebec were higher than the national average in 2024.

Preliminary training modules offered by the Echo Institute focus heavily on coercive control, which, according to police representatives at the launch, is an asset since abuse is both common and easy to miss.

“The training specifically opens their eyes to signs of coercive control,” said Laio Auger, investigation supervisor with the SPVM’s domestic-violence unit. It’s very, very subtle and if you don’t pay attention and you’re not trained properly you might not see those signs.”

“We’re able to recognize the signs more and we have more files open because then we can help more victims,” added Melissa Pothier, communications strategist for the Association of First Nations and Inuit Police Chiefs of Quebec.

Officials say nurses play a critical role in detecting coercive control because they’re embedded across the entire health care system. Unlike other sectors, nurses receive individual training modules through the Institute. All programming is available in both English and French.

“Nurses are everywhere — in youth centers, in home care, on the front lines in hospitals, in long-term care facilities,” said Luc Mathieu, president of the Quebec Order of Nurses. “These are people who can detect, screen, and support patients.”

The institute’s first event on “on coercive control in the perinatal period” is scheduled for Nov. 24. In January 2026, a seminar on coercive control of children is being planned.

Looking ahead, the Echo Institute plans to expand training on how professionals can better support children exposed to domestic violence, and eventually extend programming to workers in the education system.

“What can help women is often just asking the question,” said Pratt-Dumas. “Simply opening a door so they can talk about their situation.”

—With files from La Presse Canadienne and Zachary Cheung