The Rich Contribution of Quebec Research in the Field of Victimology

By Arlène Gaudreault (Originally written in French)

Introduction

I am honoured to have been invited to collaborate on this special issue dedicated to research relating to victims. It is also a great challenge to tackle this complex theme, especially since my professional career has rarely taken me down the research path. But in the last 40 years, I have had the opportunity to collaborate on many projects aimed at advancing our knowledge of victimology, particularly with regard to victim assistance and the recognition of victims’ rights. The research published over all these years has enriched my teaching, my publications and conferences, and the positions I have taken as president and spokesperson of the Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes. It has been truly inspiring.

First of all, I must admit that, in writing this article, I had to take one small step at a time. Given the abundance of documentation, I chose to focus on research done in Quebec and not to address certain themes that will be dealt with by other experts in this journal. This article is neither an exhaustive review nor a critical analysis. Simply put, it is a look at some of the changes that, in my view, have marked the evolution of research in victimology and, more broadly, research outside of criminology devoted to issues surrounding victims and criminal victimization. It is also a reflection on some of the avenues that researchers could take in the years to come.

Blazing the trail

At the turn of the 1980s, victimology was, in the words of Professor Ezzat Fatah, “a young, promising discipline and a fascinating subject” (Fattah 2000). It was nonetheless quite some time before the research found its footing. In 1983, Micheline Baril, a professor at the University of Montréal’s school of criminology, broke new ground by introducing a course in victimology into the bachelor’s degree curriculum in criminology. She blazed a new trail by choosing to meet with victims and their loved ones to understand their experiences (Baril, 1980; Baril et al., 1984a). She relied on unstructured interviews to collect data on their paths and on the obstacles they face in their quest to access justice, obtain help, and be compensated (Baril, 1983). She gave them a voice to testify to the impacts of crime, the indifference of institutions towards them, and the imbalance between their rights and those of offenders. She used their words to spearhead demands for change so that victims would no longer be left behind. Her doctoral thesis, L’envers du crime (1984b) and all of her research reflect her humanist vision and her unwavering commitment to the cause of victims, to which she dedicated her short life. A prolific researcher, she leaves behind an invaluable legacy that deserves to be better known and recognized.

At that time, victimology research was still in its infancy (Rossi & Gaudreault, 2018). Few university researchers were interested in the fate of the victims. Micheline Baril nevertheless managed to convince students and partners to rally around her approach. A visionary woman, she thus set up the first community of experts to start paving the way forward in this new field of study. In Quebec, the first victims’ assistance centres became laboratories for exploring the consequences of criminal victimization, the needs of victims and their families, their journey through the justice system, and the gaps that needed to be filled (Baril, 1984a; Gaudreault, 1996). This nascent body of research also looked at issues that had previously been overlooked. It was interested in the causes and dynamics of domestic violence, the portrait of “battered women”, and solutions to help them and fight this problem. Victimization in the workplace, sexual abuse and neglect of children, and elder abuse were the focus of the first publications (Campeau and Gravel, 1996). Research at the time responded to pressing needs and was conducted with few resources. However, it laid important groundwork and will inspire future studies.

Strength in alliances and collaborations

Since the 2000s, victim-centric research has flourished (Wemmers et al., 2010; Rossi and Gaudreault, 2018). The days when this research relied on a handful of visionary researchers working in isolation in unstable circumstances are over. Initially associated with criminology, from which it was born, this field of study is of interest to researchers and students from other disciplines. Psychologists, social workers, mental health workers, psychoeducators, sexologists, and lawyers are among the professionals who contribute their knowledge and expertise.

We are witnessing the gradual emergence of interdisciplinary communities anchored in research centres and chairs attached to the university community. To carry out their work, they rely on partnerships with communities of practice and with various organizations that have obligations towards victims or represent the communities to which they belong. Many projects include victims, recognizing the importance and relevance of their lived knowledge. In various capacities, these collaborators participate in the co-construction of research projects at different stages, whether in terms of their conceptualization, development, or analysis or of the dissemination of their results (Nolet et al., 2017).

These alliances have borne fruit. They have fostered the development of cutting-edge knowledge, knowledge sharing, the enrichment of practices, improvements in the training of students and professionals in the field, and the dissemination of numerous tools aimed at, for example, making information understandable to laypeople or supporting the work of stakeholders. Thanks to the engagement and support of our governments at both the federal and provincial levels, research has been able to count on more stable funding, allowing more large-scale, long-term projects to be undertaken.

A look at the deployment of research in victimology

It is difficult to gauge the evolution of research because it has been deployed in multiple directions and has branched out into several networks. It is fragmented and specialized.

In recent years, we have seen that certain issues have attracted more attention from researchers. This is particularly the case for research focused on violence against women (Boulebsol et al., 2022). The struggles and demands of feminists, the adoption of interministerial action plans on domestic violence and sexual assault, the voices of victims in many forums and the impact of the #MeToo movement, and the engagement of numerous actors and organizations are all levers that have played a decisive role in the emergence of problems and issues that have been ignored for too long. Research has focused on many questions concerning such violence, as well as on new realities that had not been explored before, or only minimally (e.g. forced marriage, romantic relationships among young people, children exposed to domestic violence). Several studies have highlighted the challenges we must face in meeting the specific needs of other groups or people in vulnerable situations (e.g. Indigenous women, people with disabilities, immigrants, sexual or gender minorities).

Research has also propelled advances in the field of sexual violence and mistreatment involving children and adolescents (Clément and Dufour, 2009). It has addressed such topics as the extent of such violence and mistreatment, their manifestations, and their continuum of severity; the prevention and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions; and legislative changes in the field of child protection. Several studies have highlighted the complexity of these social problems and the diverse responses we need to put in place to better prevent, detect, and address them.

Research on traumatic events has proliferated. Researchers have considerably enriched our knowledge of the prevalence of these phenomena, their short- and long-term repercussions, the strategies that victims develop to cope with the impacts of the trauma to which they have been exposed, the risk and protective factors, and the screening, assessment, and intervention models that lead the way to new approaches (Guay et al., 2006).

Other avenues to explore

Despite the advances, current research leaves some victim-related issues by the wayside. It is impossible to cover every aspect of this, but I would like to give a few examples.

Each year, victim support organizations provide statistics that report on their services and their achievements in carrying out their mission. These data are very interesting, but they remain fragmentary. The contribution of researchers is essential to take stock of the many organizations that work with victims and to analyze the services and programs offered, the clienteles reached, the resources needed, and the changes to be implemented. This overarching vision is currently lacking.

We can also refer to a significant number of studies concerning the experiences of victims in adult criminal court, but when it comes to other courts, research is scant. This is the case, for example, when the offender is a young offender or a person not criminally responsible, or when they are involved in proceedings before civil courts and administrative tribunals. Recognition of victim status and victims’ rights varies with the decision-making body and depends largely on that body’s mission, its resources, and its positions. In many ways, these diverse venues and contexts represent a very rich field of study for legal and psychosocial researchers to explore.

The legislative reforms we have witnessed in recent decades also represent a vast breeding ground for research (Gaudreault, 2017). In Canada, many provisions in the Criminal Code, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, and other statutes have been amended to better reflect the concerns and interests of victims and their loved ones. In 2015, the enactment of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights Act (CVBR) added a new piece to the legislative arsenal, and its implementation has sparked many initiatives in the field. Since the early 2000s, the Research Digests published by the Research and Statistics Division of the Department of Justice Canada have shed important light on the content, scope, and impact of multiple reforms that have taken place in Canada.

Quebec has also undertaken the revision of several laws that fall within its jurisdiction. With a view to improving access to justice and the treatment of victims in various proceedings, legislators have made major changes in various areas of law, such as the Civil Code and the laws governing labour standards, legal aid, the establishment of specialized courts, and the major reform of our compensation system.

These and many other issues on which we lack knowledge must become subjects of interest not only to researchers, but also to the ministries and granting agencies that define the parameters, orientations, and funding of research.

Conclusion

This brief overview does not allow us to paint a portrait of all that has been achieved in Quebec over the past few decades, nor does it do justice to all the people and organizations that have advanced research in the vast field of victimology. Its development is phenomenal, if we judge it by the diversity and abundance of publications, and by the broadening and complexity of the issues that have attracted the attention of researchers from various disciplines.

One thing is certain: the research is based on solid foundations, and the contribution of Quebec researchers is exceptional. Thanks to their work, we can now draw on a large body of scientific knowledge in a field of study that, 40 years ago, was in its infancy. They have shed essential light on matters of great public interest and on societal issues that concern and challenge us all.

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