(Montreal) The co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Manon Massé, believes that a new pilot project aimed at countering intoxication in bars is misdirected by placing all the burden on the victims.
Éduc’Alcool, in collaboration with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), announced Thursday a campaign called “Check your glass”, which provides for the distribution of 10,000 glass protectors to prevent malicious people from deposit drugs in consumptions.
The project was unveiled in the presence of the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel.
But according to the member for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, this new campaign still targets victims too much and focuses little on criminals.
In a press release published on Friday, Ms. Massé directly challenged Minister Bonnardel, stressing that women were already aware of watching their drinks carefully. According to her, the glass protectors are not unattractive, but they “do not solve the problem at the source”.
“The testimonies are multiplying in the public space and all abound in the same direction: the date rape drug concerns everyone. So why only release a campaign that still puts all the blame on the victims? It is absurd and insufficient,” she lamented.
Éduc’Alcool and the SPVM, however, defend themselves from placing all the responsibility on the victims. They argue that this campaign wants to demonstrate that “everyone is concerned and that everyone can really play a decisive role” in this problem.
“For both witnesses, people who intoxicate people without their knowledge, and victims, the pilot project draws attention to individual responsibilities, but also to collective actions,” said a press release released Thursday.