The youths slept in rooms formed by curtains and their mattresses on the floor and had no direct access to toilets or showers, according to the report.
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Apr 07, 2022 • 20 minutes ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
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The living conditions experienced by about a dozen teenagers reportedly forced to sleep on the floors of a gymnasium for more than nine months will be the object of an inquiry launched by the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission.
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The commission on Wednesday announced that the investigation is being launched on its own initiative “considering the seriousness of the information portrayed in the media,” adding it has reason to believe that “the rights of the youths housed in the establishment were not respected.”
Radio-Canada reported Tuesday that the teenagers from 14 to 18 who were placed in a youth protection center in Abitibi-Témiscamingue were being housed in a local gymnasium converted into a living space.
The youths slept in “rooms” formed by curtains and their mattresses on the floor, according to the report, and did not have furniture in which to store their personal effects, nor direct access to toilets or showers.
In a statement, the commission said the goal of the investigation is to determine whether the details of the report are accurate and, if so, how to prevent such a situation from recurring.