(Quebec) “Revolting”. “Pointless”. “Very shocking”. The story of Océane*, a woman who was raped and whose attacker is now fighting in court to get her name on the birth certificate of the child born after the crime, is sparking anger and dismay in Quebec.
Posted at 2:55 p.m
Hugo Pilon-Larose The press
“It kind of put a dagger in my heart,” said Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy.
“Our law needs to move. I dare to hope that this will lead to rapid changes,” adds PQ member Véronique Hivon.
“Obviously, the next government needs to address this issue to better protect victims of sexual violence,” Québec solidaire added as lawmakers closed the last session by approving the first part of a family law reform that specifically addresses issues of descent .
In a hard-hitting column published in La Presse on Monday, journalist Isabelle Hachey told the story of Océane (fictional name) who was sued by the man who raped her to have her undergo a blood test.DNA for the child born after the crime. With parentage verification complete, the sex offender now requests that his last name be given to the child.
“It is a situation that is very shocking indeed. We feel sorry for the victim who must have found it very difficult and we applaud his courage. We have asked the Department of Justice teams to study the possibility of legislative changes,” responded Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette’s office.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVE
“We have asked the Department of Justice teams to review the possibility of legislative changes,” said Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette’s office.
For Marwah Rizqy, the next government must correct the situation quickly during the next legislative period this fall. If the Liberal Party comes to power at the end of the campaign, they will introduce a short bill guaranteeing the right of a child born of sexual assault to know his or her origins. The rapist would lose all rights in that sense.
“You have to know that the rapist most likely just wants to maintain some control over their victim. The important thing is that he is not able to do that,” she says.
“In Quebec, we have been fighting for years to recognize the rights of victims of sexual violence and to provide them with better support. [judiciaire], to make sure she doesn’t become a victim again. We see that there is an inconsistency and a blind spot in family law,” says Véronique Hivon of the Parti Québécois.
“It is incomprehensible when we see that such situations are permitted by our law,” she continues.
*La Presse has changed the first names of the people involved, as it is forbidden to identify the parties in civil proceedings in family matters and to protect the identity of the victim and the child.