A tribune denounces “state racism” against foreign women and their children

They are not asking to invent new measures, but simply to “apply the law”. Seven women, many of whom work for the Institute Convergences Migrations Department of Health, have come together to collectively sign a platform in The world, released on November 27. They warn of the growing number of homeless foreign women in France, sometimes pregnant or accompanied by small children, and point the finger at the racism that deprives them of their rights, especially that of a home.

The decline of perinatal health in France

The signatories of this forum rely on Public Health France’s latest report on perinatal health, published on September 20, which presents “the state of health of pregnant women, fetuses and newborns during the period from pregnancy to postpartum.

For the period 2010 to 2019, the study concludes that “a worrying situation of perinatal health in general in France”. Specifically, “the proportion of homeless women who gave birth in Île-de-France went from 5.8% in 2010 to 22.8% in 2019 “. According to the authors of the forum, “the most exposed are the most recently arrived foreign women”, “often of African and North African descent”.

State racism

For these human rights defenders, “State racism selects rights holders and the rights of these foreigners are not respected. “The reception of vulnerable people is enshrined in the lawas well as the right to live in a family, but too often housing is granted piecemeal and spouses are separated,” they say.

The collective therefore calls on the government “to enforce the law and to ensure that systematic social housing is provided for undocumented pregnant women and their children. “. Recall that in August 2022, 42,000 children were living in emergency shelters, makeshift shelters or on the streets, according to UNICEF France and the Federation of Solidarity Actors.

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