Brigitte Demers recently joined the Canadian Council of International Cooperation (CCIC) as PSHEA Specialist & Sector Hub Manager. She is a passionate and devoted expert in Gender Justice, seeking to collaborate with civil society partners to prevent Gender-Based Violence and mainstream Gender Equality and Human Rights approaches. Brigitte has completed doctoral studies in critical criminology at the University of Montreal and is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa. Her interests focus on international collaboration for transformative changes on gender-based violence norms around the world.

Prior to joining the CCIC team, Brigitte worked for CLSC Quebec, where she implemented the PAPFC program with families experiencing violence and /or neglect, and taught Psychoéducation at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. In her 20 year career, she has served as a Gender and Human Rights consultant for organizations in Mexico and El Salvador, and other Latin American countries. She implemented a multi-level intervention program for rural women teachers in Chile and conducted several research projects using a variety of methodologies. She particularly appreciates the ability of participation-action methodologies to effect sustainable social changes and participant ownership of knowledge. Brigitte has offered facilitation, teaching and training on gender-related topics in multiple countries and languages for a variety of actors: directors, university professors and students, professionals, families, youth, etc. This practice is supported by her many years of clinical fieldwork as a psychoeducator, working with adolescent offenders, survivors, adults with trauma or mental health difficulties, and families going through and/or struggling out of gender violence.