Domestic violence: Schiappa announces "ephemeral contact points" in shopping centers -

NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

  • According to a report published on Monday, nearly 5,000 Ile-de-France residents have approached associations of violence against women during confinement.

  • Associations have observed an increase in victims for whom confinement has had a "revealing" effect.

  • The associations were faced with difficulties in terms of emergency accommodation.

It was one of the major concerns of the authorities during confinement: the increase, in family closed doors, in violence against women and children.

Four months after the end of this period, the Hubertine Auclert center, which works for gender equality, confirms these fears in a report published on Monday.

According to a consultation carried out with 29 specialized associations in the Ile-de-France region and eleven communities, 3,453 women contacted these structures between March 16 and May 11.

Compared to the number of associations across the region, the report estimates that at least 5,000 women have suffered physical, psychological or sexual violence under their roof.

The first fears came even before the end of confinement.

In Paris, emergency police interventions for this reason increased by 33%.

The vast majority of associations interviewed also noted an increase in requests for follow-up from women victims of violence.

Paradoxically, the number of complaints fell sharply during this period, probably because the victims not only found it more difficult to escape the grip of their violent spouse but also because the reception conditions at the police station. longer waits, sometimes outdoors - have discouraged some.

A "revealing" effect

This family lock-up also had a “revealing” effect for many victims, the report notes.

The specialized structures have thus observed an increase in the number of women who have contacted them for the first time.

The Tremplin 94-Solidarité femmes association in Val-de-Marne, for example, has observed a diversification of its audience, with in particular an increase in the number of younger women, belonging to higher socio-professional categories.

The Voice of Women structure, which fights against forced marriages, also notes that 36 of the 44 women they followed during this period were so far unknown to them.

And the violence denounced is no longer just physical: psychological, verbal or sexual abuse are more frequently reported, note the associations.

While requests for care have increased, the associations have been confronted with new difficulties, starting with the lack of emergency accommodation places.

If in some departments, partnerships have been made with the public authorities to provide shelter to women victims as well as their children, in others, associations have been confronted with a saturation of 115. This was, according to the report. , in particular Essonne and Seine-Saint-Denis, where solutions had to be "tinkered with" to shelter these victims: hotel nights at the association's expense, crowdfunding ... Confronted with these difficulties and increased insecurity, some women have given up on prosecution, or even cut ties with these associations.

One stop shop

To cope with this influx and anticipate a possible reconfinement, the report recommends - in addition to the development of emergency accommodation places - the establishment of a "one-stop shop" between the public and the private sector to ensure support for women victims of violence in times of crisis.

Another avenue mentioned: perpetuating the listening devices put in place during confinement, especially in pharmacies.

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  • Paris

  • Violence against women

  • Domestic violence

  • Society