The DYP will not intervene more in two reserves atikamekw

Photo Amélie St-Yves

Amélie St-Yves

Monday, 29 January, 2018 23:06

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Monday, 29 January, 2018 23:06

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THE TOQUE | The Director of youth protection (DYP) will not have power on some 1200 children of the reserve of Wemotaci and Manawan, in the Haute-Mauricie.

For the first time, two aboriginal reserves in quebec will have their own system of protection of children, independent of the DPJ : Wemotaci, which account for approximately 500 children per 1,400 people, and Manawan, which has 700 children on the 2500 residents.

Autonomy

The grand chief of the atikamekw nation, Constant Awashish, said the agreement with the provincial government as an important step towards the autonomy of the reserves.

“The protection of our children, it is our responsibility. It is up to us to take care of them, protect them, raise them, and correct their mistakes as they grow up, ” he said, before signing the agreement Monday.

It was 30 years ago, the Atikamekw required to take care themselves of their young people.

There are about a hundred reports every year for these two reserves. The new agreement will not change the laws, but all the power will now be delegated to Aboriginal people.

So, children whose development is compromised will be kept within their territories, under the authority of the Director of the social protection of atikamekw, rather than the DPJ.

Power

It’s been years that the System response authority atikamekw (SIAA) has intervened in cases of reporting to the internal reserves. Only, the DPJ had always the right to annul a decision or to take the folder, which will not be the case.

“We got to usurp our power to decide for ourselves. Today, we returned the search by demonstrating that it was capable of. Governments have understood, ” said Constant Awashish.

The minister responsible for youth Protection, Lucie Charlebois, believes that it is in the interest of the children not to uproot from their midst.

“The protection and safety of children is an issue that concerns us all. We have a collective responsibility to provide young people with tools and an environment that will facilitate their integration in society “, she said.