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At 28 years old, Camille holds a truly unique position: she is a community liaison worker within the Richelieu–Saint-Laurent Intermunicipal Police Board. For more than two years now, she has been acting as a bridge between police officers and women who are victims of domestic violence.

With a bachelor’s degree combining criminology and victimology, Camille began her career at the Denise Massé Evening Center. There, she experienced both the richness of human encounters and the constant challenge of welcoming suffering without judgment, in an environment where each person progresses at their own pace.

Although Camille has never personally experienced domestic violence, she felt called to this cause at a very early stage. Convinced of its importance, she decided to spontaneously send her résumé to Carrefour pour Elle, a women’s shelter.

The organization’s leadership, where she first worked on an on-call basis, quickly recognized her potential and offered her the opportunity to take on an unprecedented challenge: to become the first community liaison worker directly assigned to a police board in Quebec.

The outreach worker who extends a hand

Her position was created through the collaboration of three women’s shelters in the region: La Maison Simonne-Monet-Chartrand, La Clé sur la porte, and Carrefour pour Elle. This initiative replaced the zero protocol, a system in which police officers would ask women to sign a form to be referred to a resource. The limitations were obvious: how could one sum up the complexity of available services in just a few seconds, in the middle of a crisis?

Each morning, Camille reviews the cases from recent days. Within 24 to 72 hours following a police intervention, she contacts women who may have been exposed to domestic violence. Her goal is to offer support quickly—before fear, isolation, or doubt can take hold—and to guide them toward appropriate services. The information is thus shared in a caring, detailed, and personalized way, adapted to their reality.

Since she started in June 2023, more than a thousand women have had the opportunity to receive assistance, while only a handful of them had previously been in contact with a shelter. In a context where every moment counts when facing domestic violence, Camille plays a crucial role in the lives of these women.

Women’s autonomy at the heart of support

When asked about the key message she wishes to convey to women experiencing domestic violence, Camille responds with sincerity and compassion:

“The role of an outreach worker is above all to respect your pace, to provide you with all the information you might need so that you can make your own informed decisions. We are here to offer support, not to lead.”

Through her attentive presence and respectful listening, Camille gives every woman she meets the opportunity to feel heard, supported, and capable of regaining control over her life.