'Enough is enough': Montrealers march to demand more be done to stop conjugal violence

Cries of "not one more" and "enough is enough" could be heard from downtown Montreal's Place du Canada toParc milie-GamelinSaturday, asdozens of people marched to demand thatmore be done to curb domestic violence in Quebec.

Christine Giroux, a survivor of intimate partner violence and the organizer of the protest, was one of several speakers that denounced the ongoing issue at the demonstration.

"How many more women must be killed before things change?" she said."Who will raise their hands with me to say that enough is enough?"

At least 10 women have been killed in Quebec in acts of domestic violence this year.

An 82-year-old man was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, afterhis 90-year-old wife was found dead in a seniors' residencein Vaudreuil-Dorion.

On Monday, Kamaljit Arora, 45,wascharged with two counts of first-degree murderin connection to the deaths ofhis 11-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter in Laval, Que,. He is also accused of assaulting and strangling his wife.

"Conjugal violence is taboo, nobody talks about it but it exists," said Giroux.

That's why survivor Khaoula Grissaspeaksopenly about the abuse her ex put her through, despite how difficult it might be.

"Iwill not stop speaking out about it," Grissa said.

She described everything she did to protect herself and her daughter: entering a women's shelter, cutting her hair, changing her glassesand putting her daughter into five different daycares.

Still, it wasn't enough. Grissa's abuser tracked her and her daughter down in 2019 and triedto kill them.

"I did everything to protect myself, to protect my daughter and despite this, we weren't protected," she said.

Grissa is calling for more to be done to protect accusers of conjugal violence. She wantsmore social and second-stage housing for victims of abuse, as well as betterresources to safely accuse their partners of violence.

Speakers atSaturday's demonstration called for action from both the provincial and federal governments.

Girouxwants the expanded use of Quebec's domestic violence tracking bracelets to protect victims from their attackers, and more severe criminal punishments for abusers at a federal level.

As it stands, the bracelets can only be used for people who have been given sentences ranging from six months to two years less a day a law that does not help Giroux, whose partner has been released after serving more than two years in prison.

Quebec has been piloting a specialized court for crimes involving victims ofdomestic and sexual violence this year. ButGiroux is calling for more specialized police units that will takeall women's complaints seriously before it's too late.

Neither the provincial nor federalgovernments responded to requests for comment Saturday.

Until concrete changes can be made at a political level, protestors like Kim Itri will continue calling for social change.

"We want women to be believed," she said.

"It's a cause that's very important for us because we're survivors, we're fighters we just want to change things."