Women fleeing domestic abuse in Quebec’s more remote regions sometimes have to drive for hours to find a safe place to go.
Women’s shelters across the province say despite recent investments by the provincial government to counter sexual abuse, when it comes to fighting domestic violence, there are still dire needs.
« The first obstacle is even to get to the shelter, » said Manon Monastesse, the head of Quebec’s Federation of Women’s Shelters, which counts 36 establishments across Quebec.
The Maison d’hébergement l’Aquarelle in Chibougamau — one of the only resources available to women in northern Quebec — fields calls from women as far away as Whapmagoostui, a Cree village on Hudson Bay accessible only by plane, and a three-hour flight away.