In remote parts of Quebec, some victims of domestic abuse drive 100s of kilometres to escape violence

Women fleeing domestic abuse in Quebec's moreremote 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 evento get to the shelter," said Manon Monastesse, the head of Quebec's Federation of Women's Shelters, which counts 36 establishments across Quebec.

TheMaisond'hbergementl'Aquarelle inChibougamau one of the only resources available to women in northern Quebec fields calls from womenas far away asWhapmagoostui, a Cree village on Hudson Bay accessible only by plane, and a three-hour flight away.

"I'm not in a position where I can pay for transport," said Marie-veGuay, the executive director of the shelter whose catchment areacovers more than half the province.

Women sometimes turn to their band councils for help, Guay said,but others never make the trip.

Guay said another shelter opened in September in Waswanipi, a Cree community a 90-minute driveeast of Chibougamau. But even so,l'Aquarellecontinues to run at 100 per centcapacity, as it has for several years.

"We always have to do more with less," she said, adding that's only possible because of thededication of her staff to provide the help the women are seeking.

Quebec invests $6.4M

Monastesse said it's unacceptable that many Quebec shelters have to ask women to wait their turn when they call looking for a safe place to stay.

"They are in a critical situation when they reach out for help," she said. "We need to be able to answer right away."

The Minister responsible for the status of women, HlneDavid, announcedon Wednesday a $6.4-million investment for the fight against domestic violence.

However, Monastessesaid the province would need to invest nearly $50 millionto meet demand.

Of the new money announced Wednesday, $3.2 million is gearedtoward second-stage shelters residences wherewomen can live for months,even years, as they rebuild their lives.

Another$3 million will help emergency shelters adapt to meet theneeds ofnewly arrived immigrants.

As well, $200,000 is being allocated to counselling forviolent offenders, including those from the immigrant community.

Not enough beds, not enough counsellors

Another association of women's shelters, theRegroupementdesmaisonspour femmesvictimesde violenceconjugale, agrees there must be a more substantial investment to fight domestic violence. But Louise Riendeau, who speaks for the group, said the money announced this week was badly needed.

"It is verygood news for these shelters," she said.

Riendeausaid the increasing demand from the immigrant populationhad putadded pressure on shelters in Quebec's major urban centres,Quebec City and Montreal.

Shelter administratorssometimes have to hire interpreters or additional resources to accompany women and their children, she said.

Riendeausaid talks are underway with the province to ensure more substantial, recurrent funding for all her association's 42 members.

Riendeausaid many shelter directors have told herthey aren't able to hire enough staffto provide the services they are supposed to.

For example, in Matane, intheGasp region, counsellors have to drive three hoursto the nearest courthouse in Rimouskito accompanywomen whoare fighting a custody battleor have laid assault charges against their spouse.

"This means mobilizing a social worker for an entire day," leaving only one other counsellorat the shelter, Riendeau said.

Social workers pack groceriesto raise money

In Baie-Comeau, not only do social workers have to drive women to appointments, they sometimes have to do fundraising to pay for their own salaries.

The city's only women's shelter organizes a charity drive every year at the local grocery store, packing bags.

The annual campaign allows theMaisondesfemmes deBaie-Comeauto do outreach work, butco-ordinatorHlneMilliersaid her employees already have a lot on their plates and could make better use of their time.

Already, she says, counsellors must sometimes hold a therapy session with two women at the same time, instead of meeting them one-on-one, which is the norm.

"It's not ideal," Millier said.

The shelter has 18 beds available for women, but Millier said she only receives funding for 10. She said this means women have a place to staybut don't get all the support they need.

Milliersaid she has been asking for years for added funding to be able to hire at least one more person.

$13.1M to tackle sexual abuse

On Wednesday, David also explained how the government was distributinga$13.1-million envelope announced in December to counter sexual abuse.

The bulk of the amount, $9 million, will go to front-line organizations thatsupport victims of sexual abuse (CALACS).

Another $900,000 will be allocated to improving how hospitals and emergency workers respond tovictims of sexual assault.

In addition, $2million will be used for prevention and awareness campaigns,and$1.2 million will go toward improving the treatment for sexual offenders.