Domestic violence: a site for victims to "keep traces"

The France Victimes federation launches on Monday under the aegis of the government a website, "Mémo de Vie", which allows victims of violence, particularly domestic violence, to discreetly secure photos and testimonies of the attacks suffered.

The platform allows the user to create a secure account where he can keep a diary, assess his feeling of danger, but also keep photos, sound recordings or official and medical documents.

"We must keep traces, even if what is written in 'Mémo de Vie' does not constitute proof, in an investigation it makes it possible to confront the accused with elements", explains the spokesperson for France Victimes, Olivia Mons.

"It is also a memory crutch, and we know that trauma can create memory problems," she continues.

In order to ensure the safety of its users, "Mémo de Vie" can be left quickly, by a button which links to the Météo-France site.

"It can also help to raise awareness, to archive and to be able to re-read"

To build the platform, the federation was inspired by citizen proposals posted on the Make.org site, and worked with victims of domestic violence.

"When it happened to me, I had kept photos in my phone, but I could not keep them because he was digging into them and he had fallen on them", testifies to AFP Stéphanie, 49 years old , one of the project coaches and former victim of domestic violence.

"It can also help awareness, archive and be able to re-read," she adds.

The site also centralizes association contacts and legal resources aimed at informing victims of their rights.

"Mémo de Vie", launched under the aegis of the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupont-Moretti, Elisabeth Moreno, Minister delegate for Equality between Men and Women, and Marlène Schiappa, Minister delegate for Citizenship , will be deployed on a larger scale in the first half of 2021 with the aim of ultimately helping 20,000 victims per year.