Confinement: "If you have the slightest doubt about the abuse of a child, alert!" - 20 Minutes
If confinement is painful for some, it can be fatal for others. Reports of domestic violence have increased by more than 30% since March 17, when confinement began. And women are not the only victims. Children, too, are more prone to abuse when they are trapped between four walls with their executioner.
"The particular context of confinement unfortunately constitutes a breeding ground favorable to violence" because of "the promiscuity, tensions and anxiety" that it brings about, recalled the government at the beginning of the week. As soon as the confinement was announced, many associations and social workers expressed their concerns. “We were all afraid of this at the start of confinement. And the worst part is that now we can see it, ”deplores Cédric, a social worker in Paris who takes care of parents who are likely to commit violence. “This is why we insisted on being able to maintain a link with families. "
Listening and help cells still active
Normally, the young man carries out educational actions at home. But since the start of confinement, he has traded these face-to-face meetings for videoconference calls from his home and he sees an increasingly tense situation. “The lack of understanding of certain confinement instructions can also lead to acts of mistreatment. For example, there was the case of a mother who got mad at her child because she was afraid that he would endanger the whole family if he did not wash his hands every five minutes as soon as he touched an object in the house. "
If the bond of associations with parents is not broken, neither is it with children. For the young victims of mistreatment already followed up by the associations, the listening and help cells continue to operate despite the confinement. To the association L'Enfant bleu which fights against the mistreatment of the youngest, volunteers, psychologists and lawyers help, from their home, the children, from a psychological, therapeutic or legal point of view, by videoconference.
For Isabelle Debré, president of the association, “the most annoying thing is for children under the age of ten. We need toys to express themselves, to tell what happened. Difficult work to do when it is impossible to get there, especially due to the lack of masks among social workers. "I love my job but not to the point of risking my life, that of my wife and children," says Cédric.
The 119 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
If follow-up work continues, it is much more difficult to detect child victims of abuse. Because if, in normal times, this violence can be spotted by third parties - the non-violent parent, another close relative or professionals, especially at school - it is more complicated to notice it when contact with the outside world are almost nonexistent. “There, the child is alone, confined with his executioner. So it is very difficult for him to find someone who speaks for him ”, laments Isabelle Debré.
In order to detect this violence as much as possible, associations and the government call on residents to be attentive to what is going on around them. "Open your eyes and ears, and if you have any doubts about child abuse, alert! Alert to save him! There are several ways to do this: call 119 open 24/7, or 17 in case of a life-threatening emergency.
An online reporting system
Since the start of confinement, the L'Enfant bleu association has received as many calls as usual, which does not reassure its president. “It worries us because we know very well that certain children cannot call since they are 24 hours a day with the executioner who takes advantage of them. To increase the number of reporting levers, the Secretary of State for Child Protection, Adrien Taquet, will set up an online reporting system. Access to this form should be included on the 119 website as of the middle of the week.
During confinement, the risk of mistreatment of children at home increases, and our opportunities to spot it decrease. # COVID19 #CoronavirusFrance
Update on the systems implemented # StopViolences⤵ pic.twitter.com/BW1Nj2eF0o
Pharmacists who give the alert
If the police stations remain open to lodge a complaint, alerts can now be given in pharmacies. The pharmacist will then call the police who can intervene in an emergency. "It is not because there is a confinement that the law stopped," said Cédric. "Justice continues its work", continues Isabelle Debré. “A mother called me because she had filed a complaint against her partner for violence against their child and he had to take him every other week. As there was a complaint, with a lawyer from the association, we told the mother to keep the child. If there is a danger, we make the necessary decisions. Provisional placement orders can be made in an emergency.
The government has reactivated its awareness campaign against child abuse in order to encourage people to call 119 or even 17 in the event of a life-threatening emergency. “We count on the solidarity of all to alert. "
Against violence against children during confinement # COVID19:
➡ Stay alert and call 119
📺👇 pic.twitter.com/kR17meeZjg
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- Violence
- Abuse
- Containment
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Society
- Video
- Child