This is the first time that Quebec stakeholders have engaged in a collective reflection on issues such as the specific needs of victims, the organization of support services, and victim assistance policies and legislation. The aim is to take stock of the situation of victims of violence, paying particular attention to the physical and mental health dimensions of criminal victimization. What’s more, we want to go beyond the stage of a simple awareness-raising symposium and lay the foundations for a social policy towards victims in Quebec.
The proceedings of this symposium, published in a special issue of the INFO PV Bulletin in the spring of 1986, summarize the exchanges between the 150 participants. All the workshops emphasized the need for concerted action, the urgent need to disseminate and share information, and to support the creation, development and survival of services.