The Quebec government unveiled a five-year, $200 million strategy to prevent and counter sexual violence Friday.
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Groups fighting sexual assault have been calling for better measures for years.
Wednesday night, a group called Stop Rape Culture rallied thousands in Montreal and across the province to denounce violence against women and to call on the government to pay attention.
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This comes on the heels of a number of incidents of sexual violence in the province, including former Liberal MNA Gerry Sklavounos leaving caucus amid allegations of sexual assault.
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There has also been an increase in security at Laval University after reports of break-ins at one of the school’s residences.
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The $200 million budget will be split:
- $156 million will go to continuing existing measures.
- $44 million will be invested towards 55 new measures and programs.
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Some of the new measures include an increase in assistance for sexual assault victims, training for prosecutors and police, and introducing sexual education programs in schools.
In addition, a police unit will be put in place that specializes in sexual crimes and video-conferencing tools will be installed to help victims keep contact with authorities.
The government said it also plans on starting awareness campaigns in colleges and universities.