Commissioned by the Paris police headquarters, a study by the Regional Observatory of Violence against Women at the Hubertine-Auclert center points to the dysfunctions in the reception of women victims of domestic and/or sexual violence in police stations in Paris and small crown.
From the lack of confidentiality to the lack of case follow-up, the whole procedure suffers from shortcomings, with potential endangerment of the complainant.
In its defence, the prefecture assures that "the reception facilities have since evolved".
It took more than two years for the Paris police headquarters to publish a report on January 27, which it received on September 3, 2019. A long wait which mechanically raised the desire to read this 24-page summary entitled “ Collaborative diagnosis on the reception of women victims of domestic and/or sexual violence and the assessment of the danger in three police stations in Paris and the inner suburbs" and carried out by the Regional Observatory of Violence Against Women at the Hubertine-Auclert Center .
A summary of the @CentreHubertine report from 2019 has been published on the @prefpolice website.
Reception systems have since evolved, this report does not describe the current reality of care in Parisian police stations.https://t.co/4GWMJHrcpZ
– Prefecture of Police (@prefpolice) January 27, 2022
In its tweet announcing its publication, the prefecture is careful to specify: “The reception arrangements have since evolved, this report does not describe the current reality of care in Parisian police stations.
“Because indeed he is particularly severe on the issue.
In its introduction, it is recalled that "the conditions in which women victims are received throughout this procedure are decisive for their protection and their legal course".
Hence the importance of the subject.
Confidentiality by the wayside
Unfortunately, during the period studied (from September 2018 to May 2019), these conditions are not really met.
This begins with the pre-welcome and then continues during the reception at the counter where confidentiality is hardly observed.
However, the report indicates, "the absence or lack of confidentiality can destabilize the victim and prevent him from fully disclosing the violence suffered, which will be detrimental to the smooth running of the [criminal] procedure".
Lawyer Karen Noblinski, originally with her colleague Rachel-Flore Pardo, from a forum in
Le JDD
to facilitate the filing of a complaint, confirms that "victims are asking for more confidentiality" and that in general, this " first contact dissuades" from continuing the procedure.
Similarly, when complaints are taken, the report notes that this is “most often carried out in shared offices, with other complaints taken”.
However, according to the same text, “confidentiality is essential during the hearing for the taking of a complaint.
It is at this moment that the women will accurately describe the violence they experience.
"Confidentiality is complicated to set up because of a problem of infrastructure and too small police stations", specifies Rachel-Flore Pardo.
A romantic approach to couple relationships
Then the content of the complaint is very uneven, often with missing elements, which can handicap the rest of the procedure.
The study notes "a focus of all police services almost exclusively on physical violence, that is to say violence that leaves visible wounds" while sexual, psychological, economic violence, etc. .
Moreover, the investigators have “observed on the part of the police services a difficulty in apprehending domestic violence as resulting from a relationship of domination […]: often, a romantic [and egalitarian] approach to couple relationships remains” .
This does not surprise lawyer Isabelle Steyer, a specialist in the rights of women victims.
"The family is the unit to be preserved and it has long been sacred," she believes.
In addition, the policeman, who is part of the profession of strong men, carries within him, and often in spite of himself, social representations, such as the valorization of virility, which is found in domestic violence.
“Hence a difficulty for the police to correctly apprehend the latter.
Thus during home interventions, there are often shortcomings in securing the victim and her children.
The report notes "at least two situations [out of 116] where the children are entrusted to the violent father following the mother's firefighter transport".
Similarly, "the information concerning the victim is not always provided, so that recalling him in the following days will be difficult, if not impossible".
Observations that sadly recall the sketch of the Unknowns on the police.
The globally undervalued danger
Finally, the police are criticized for underestimating the danger to which the complainants may be exposed.
"During the hearing we find that the questions to assess the danger are not systematically asked," says the report.
As a result, victims are not well directed towards protection mechanisms and/or support associations.
It is to respond to these failures that Karen Noblinski and Rachel-Flore Pardo ask that the victims of this violence be assisted by a lawyer, if necessary supported by legal aid.
“Complainants must be informed of their rights as soon as they arrive at the police station, the right to an interpreter, to gynecological or psychiatric expertise, a role that a lawyer can take on, explains Rachel-Flore Pardo.
The victim's first words are important and the lawyer, through his questions, can encourage the victim to be as specific as possible.
Finally, the filing of a complaint is a difficult moment and the presence of a lawyer can help the victim to live it better.
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Our file on violence
The report dating from 2019, the police headquarters, which limits its communication to its tweets of January 27, indicates that "this diagnosis on the reception and care of victims of domestic and / or sexual violence [...] has constituted an inventory prior to the substantive work carried out since”.
If Karen Noblinski underlines that there are still "things that are not normal in the conditions of the care of victims", Rachel-Flore Pardo notes an "improvement in the filing of complaints and the care", even if she wishes a better police training.
Isabelle Steyer goes further and asks for the creation of specialized jurisdictions on these issues, like the family protection brigade, because "in these cases, you need a lot of psychology, listening is different,
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20 seconds of context
The Paris police headquarters did not wish to react to the conclusions of the report, limiting its communication to its three tweets of January 27.
Similarly, the Hubertine-Auclert center which carried out the study indicates that as “this is an audit carried out internally for the Paris police headquarters, we do not communicate on this report”.
Sexual violence
Office
Violence against women
Domestic violence
Police
Paris
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