Reports to the DPJ: battered children, collateral victims
Hundreds of Montreal children have been collateral - and silent - victims of the pandemic. Not only did reports to the directorate of youth protection (DPJ) decrease by almost a third compared to the same period last year in Montreal, according to a study carried out by a team of researchers from the 'Université de Montréal, but a more detailed analysis also shows that it is physical abuse, and therefore battered children, for whom reports have decreased the most: the decrease amounts to 60%.
But it was when the researchers examined the reasons for compromise that they made the most heartbreaking discovery. These are the situations of abuse, of “physical abuse” - battered children - for which the drop in reports is most dramatic: it reaches 60%. Indeed, while 607 children were reported in the spring of 2019 for physical abuse, only 241 were reported for the same period in 2020. "This represents an average of five fewer children reported each day in Montreal," note the researchers. . The gap is most marked for boys aged 6 to 11, where reports to the DPJ for “physical abuse” fell by 78%.
For neglect, we speak of a 40% drop in reports and for behavioral disorders (running away, vandalism, taking drugs), the drop is 52%. The decrease in reports is also notable for sexual abuse ("sexual abuse"), at 30%. "This affects girls more, and even more adolescent girls, with a drop of 47%," stress the researchers.
This marked decrease in reports is due, in large part, to the decrease in reports from schools. In 2019, for the period from mid-March to the end of May, 788 reports were from the school community. In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, only 129 reports came from schools, which were closed due to COVID-19. The decrease is therefore 84%.
"The confinement had the effect of greatly reducing the support that the school is able to provide to the most vulnerable children," emphasize the researchers. The portrait of the reports received during the complete closure of the schools is unequivocal. They add that it is very unlikely that the situations of mistreatment have really decreased; on the contrary, they would be more likely to occur.
Police reports are also down, from 729 last year to 629 this year. On the other hand, reports from the health network are more or less stable. “If there is good news in this study, this is it. Reports from the network have not decreased, ”says Denis Lafortune.
So should we expect an explosion of reports when Montreal schools reopen in September? “We anticipate a marked increase in September. It's going to go back up, that's for sure, ”says Denis Lafortune. The group of researchers will continue this “COVID-19 vigil” with the DPJ over the next 10 months.
This marked decrease in reports is due, in large part, to the decrease in reports from schools. In 2019, for the period from mid-March to the end of May, 788 reports were from the school community. In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, only 129 reports came from schools, which were closed due to COVID-19. The decrease is therefore 84%.
"The confinement had the effect of greatly reducing the support that the school is able to provide to the most vulnerable children," emphasize the researchers. The portrait of the reports received during the complete closure of the schools is unequivocal. They add that it is very unlikely that the situations of mistreatment have really decreased; on the contrary, they would be more likely to occur.
Police reports are also down, from 729 last year to 629 this year. On the other hand, reports from the health network are more or less stable. “If there is good news in this study, this is it. Reports from the network have not decreased, ”says Denis Lafortune.
So should we expect an explosion of reports when Montreal schools reopen in September? “We anticipate a marked increase in September. It's going to go back up, that's for sure, ”says Denis Lafortune. The group of researchers will continue this “COVID-19 vigil” with the DPJ over the next 10 months.