- After the initial refusal to extend the bereavement leave, this Thursday in the National Assembly, the Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, admitted a "collective error".
- The Minister is committed "to find in the next few days solutions to reduce this respite from five days today to twelve days".
- For parents affected by the loss of a child, the anger and shock caused by this vote have given way to the hope that the subject will henceforth prevail in public debate.
Florence Raymond lost her daughter nine years ago. At 51, this former salesperson was, until last Thursday, "rather optimistic". “I had been informed beforehand of a vote that day in the National Assembly on the extension of the leave for bereaved parents. I told myself that finally, we were going to be able to talk about this subject. And then it quickly fell when I saw the result of the vote and the refusal of the deputies. It is total misunderstanding. For me, this decision is beyond comprehension, ”she says.
For parents directly concerned by the loss of a child, the debates and then the government's turnaround on this UDI-Agir bill have aroused strong anger. They denounce a total lack of cooperation and many shortcomings in terms of support. Wounded by the controversy surrounding the funding of the extension of this leave, now limited to five days, they now hope for a boost from the LREM majority and ambitious proposals.
Shock and anger
Like Florence, Patricia Bude lost her child. After this "shock wave", she joined the association "Taming absence". This structure, which has several regional offices, offers support groups and support for parents facing the death of their son or daughter. She too was "shocked" by the vote of the National Assembly. "I really thought it was going to pass, that it was difficult to do otherwise. I did not understand how the elected officials could have made this decision. Going from 5 to 12 days off was not huge. And even if that doesn't solve everything, it leaves parents more time for all the administrative procedures to be carried out after the death of their child, and there are many. ”
In all of the testimonies collected by 20 Minutes, shock and anger predominate. “In the name of what are these parliamentarians telling us that twelve days of respite is too much? Because that is what was understood with this refusal. In a way, it is to deny our suffering, continues Patricia Rispal, bereaved mother and organizer of self-help groups in Paris. The gift of RTT between employees is very good, but it amounts to making solidarity weigh on colleagues in place of the State ”.
Franck, he lost his 12 year old son last August. Like most parents, he had not been informed in advance of the tabling of this bill. He discovered it in the press when the MEPs' refusal was relayed. “I felt a lot of anger. We get the impression that the only thing that worried the Minister of Labor was the issue of funding the measure. Even if they have since returned to the subject, for us, the damage is done ”.
Lack of support and recognition
After four days of controversy involving - among others - the intervention of the Head of State, the parents directly concerned by the subject point out the ignorance of the difficulties encountered after the loss of a child. And the lack of recognition of their suffering. “When a child loses a parent, he becomes an orphan. When you lose your spouse, you are a widower. But when a parent loses their child, there is no word, no status, ”says Franck. However, support by business and institutions is still sorely lacking in France, says Nathalie Paoli, president of the Le Point rose association. “Arranging each course, especially in the return to work, is already therapeutic. But this subject is still taboo and uncomfortable. No one projects themselves into this situation, which nevertheless affects thousands of families each year [approximately 4,500 per year, according to the government]. This is why there is no real support system at the national level, ”she analyzes.
From the lack of partial financial support for the funeral to the non-reimbursement of psychotherapy sessions, the shortcomings and difficulties encountered by these parents are numerous. Patricia Bude, for her part, benefited from psychological counseling set up by her company. “It is a chance and it is far from being the case for everyone. Returning to work, however, is particularly hard. We are expected to act as if nothing had happened, we must find our place in the midst of colleagues while we are going through a tsunami. If the associative fabric has proven to be precious for many of them, all of them say they are in favor of a common system at the national level with a dedicated listening and information number. “I, for example, was not even aware that I was entitled to five days off after the death of my son. There are a lot of things you don't know and you feel alone and isolated, ”says Franck.
An opportunity to revive the debate
After the mea culpa of the majority and part of the government, the announcement by the Minister of Labor of "consultations" and the tabling in the Senate of a new amendment to extend the "bereaved parent" leave was favorably received by The parties involved. And beyond this breakthrough, the outbreak of this debate is seen as an "opportunity" by Nathalie Paoli: "We are now talking about the impact of the loss of a child in the broad sense and it is a great breakthrough . There are still many disparities in the support of bereaved parents and if this vote allows to answer them, so much the better! "A point of view shared by Patricia Bude:" It puts the parents' mourning and mourning in general in the public debate and it is a good thing. In France, on this subject, we favor the ostrich policy. Finally, for the people affected, it's terrible, they find themselves alone. ”
Despite his anger, Franck wants to see a real evolution in society on this subject: “This controversy is the snowball effect. It made it possible to raise awareness on the subject, to open the eyes of many people to the difficulties encountered. Now let's see what the elected officials are proposing. I just hope the government is not going to boast too much. Anyway, I will not forget their original vote. "
Society
Leave after the loss of a child: LREM MEPs will repair their mistake, says Olivia Grégoire
Politics
"Child Mourning" Leave: The Government Votes to Face and Believes It Did Not Have "Time to Stand Back" on the Measure
- Society
- LREM
- Child
- Parents
- National Assembly
- leave