Déchirements

Ever since the Shafia case in 2009, when four women were murdered, awareness has grown in Québec society. Violence based on honor happens here too. Young people -- the overwhelming majority of whom are girls -- are faced with pressures and prohibitions having to do with the school outings they go on, the clothes they wear or the company they keep, all in the name of honor. Some are even forced by their families to marry the man chosen for them. Refusal to obey carries a heavy price: abusive control, confinement, blows, rejection, solitude. All of this creates in these girls a profound sense of ill-being, a nameless tearing apart between their culture of origin, which they wish to preserve, and that of Québec, which they want to adopt. Nearly ten years after the Shafia Family murders, has Québec done its homework and can it now manage this type of situation? What happens nowadays when one of these girls asks for help? Who is there for her? And what can be done? Teachers, school principals, community organizers, and police have joined forces. The film reflects this mobilization effort.