The reception methods for women victims of domestic violence are not up to the emergency. This is what the prefecture of Haute-Garonne sadly demonstrated once again: on Thursday 6 July it confirmed that it had put an end to hotel accommodation for 33 women victims of domestic violence. Some are accompanied by children.
No workarounds
In a press release published on Tuesday, the Federation of Solidarity Actors (FAS) of Occitania and the National Federation of Women’s Solidarity (FNSF) were outraged by this measure: “ For three weeks, 33 women – some accompanied by children – were informed by the state services of the end of their stay in the hotel, without being offered any alternative solution. “.
” Within eight days they have to leave the hotel they have occupied for several months. “continues Anne-Claire Hochedel, regional delegate of the FAS, to AFP.
The concerns of the associations are legitimate: without any housing solution, some of these women could be forced to return to live with their abusive spouse. They are also likely to be exposed to other forms of violence.” especially sexual violence to obtain the possibility of being hosted”says Françoise Brié, director general of the FNSF at AFP.
Other supports suspended elsewhere in France?
The FNSF also announced that it had launched an investigation within its network of associations to find out if other situations of reduced housing had been observed elsewhere. The federation would thus have received two other reports, in the Vendée and in Essonne, without knowing how many women are interested.
The prefecture of Haute-Garonne has defended itself against criticism from the associations, justifying the end of the support by their duration “greater than one year”, in front of a receiving device “saturated” : “ The will of the prefect is to preserve the unconditionality of hospitality, but this must be the object of social support, allowing situations to be re-evaluated and a way out of the housing emergency to be found. he claimed to AFP. On Thursday at noon, around 100 people gathered in Toulouse to demand that the 33 women be reintegrated into the emergency housing system.
A general policy supported by the state
According to the regional delegate of the FAS, these decisions of the prefecture are part of a general policy of limiting the number of hotel nights for the homeless, which are burdensome for the state. He claims that it would have started last May, with the end of treatment for single men, therefore single women who were not necessarily victims of violence.
In the 2023 budget, the government had initially planned to cut 14,000 emergency accommodation places, but gave up, under pressure from mayors and associations. At the same time, the state is creating jobs for abused women, aiming for 11,000 this year. A figure below the emergency: according to the FNSF, 15 thousand are needed.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or you just want to find out more:
- 3919 and the government website let’s stop THE violence
- Our practical article My boyfriend hit me: how to react, what to do when you are a victim of violence in your relationship?
- The association All ahead and its help chat available at How do we love each other?
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
