The amount of the lawsuit has not yet been revealed, but Me Valérie Assouline assures that it will be exemplary
, because it must not happen again
she says. The DYP had a duty to protect the little girl, and she did not
. As for the Val-des-Cerfs School Services Center, he was very aware of what was going on. The center itself had made several reports and had finally decided to leave homeschooling with everything it knew. It was a serious mistake.
School was the last safety net
she explains.
The lawyer says she is finalizing the lawsuit on behalf of the mother and grandmother, but no date for filing has yet been determined.
The one who is nicknamed the “girl from Granby” was wrapped in adhesive tape in the hours preceding her death.
Photo: Evidence admitted in court
A duty of accountability
Valérie Assouline confirms that the two women had made several reports and requested police interventions on a few occasions with the father and the mother-in-law of the girl, who had custody of the child. However, the Commission for Human Rights and Youth Rights (CDPDJ) has decided to close the file. The seven-year-old later died in her bedroom while fully wrapped in duct tape.
It is certain that there were all the facts for the Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse to remain in this file
she hammers. Beyond the system, there are individuals
she adds, arguing that people have shown a gross negligence
.
The tragedy had greatly shaken the community in Granby.
Photo: Radio-Canada
She argues that the lawsuit is first and foremost about getting things done within the system so that children are better protected and there is accountability.
It’s always someone else’s fault DYP. There is no one who is accountable to the DYP
she laments.
” Everything we do is for things to really change and for people to be accountable. We cannot have a system where there is immunity and where no one is accountable. »
Still no change, according to the lawyer
The lawyer also regrets that three years later, nothing seems to have changed within the system. It recalls the drama of Wendake or the criminal explosion which took away a father and his two children.
What I feel is that the DYP acts when it involves several children, where [la problématique] is systemic rather than individual
. She claims that the DYP withdrew in four of her files, as well as in eight files of her colleagues.
We no longer know where to turn when we have a file where there are red files and we do not hear the alerts
she laments.
The lawyer representing the girl’s mother and grandmother, Valérie Assouline
Photo: Facebook
In December 2021, the girl’s stepmother was found guilty of forcible confinement and the unpremeditated murder of the seven-year-old child. Sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 13 years, she appealed her case.
As for the father, he pleaded guilty to a charge of forcible confinement and received four years in prison.
More details to come
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca