En France, 213,000 women declared in 2019 to be victims of physical or sexual violence, according to theNational observatory of violence against women. Some also suffer psychological or administrative violence from their spouse or ex-spouse. Every year, 94,000 women are victims of rape or attempted rape.
This violence concerns all women, whatever their social category, their nationality, their age. They can take different forms and be experienced within the family sphere, but also in social relationships, in the street, at work, anywhere, all the time. Gender violence is omnipresent and suffocating. This violence takes place in private but is not of a private nature: it is everyone’s business, starting with that of public authorities.
Foreign women, like all women, can be confronted with violence, some of which is very specific. The majority, they represent 52% of the migrant population, according to the National Institute of Demographic Studiesand their status as women exposes them to systemic and repetitive violence, from departure to arrival in the destination country.
Some, tortured, imprisoned, exploited, raped in their country, others victims of abuse of all kinds during their migratory journey or in France. And once in Europe, the violence does not stop. Recent articles have shed light on all these phenomena. The response to findings, alerts, denunciations of the unspeakable? The distressing silence of public authorities.
Excision, forced marriage, slavery
Our organizations welcome women who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence, domestic or family violence, or even excision, forced marriage, slavery in France. How can we improve their protection? Because that’s what it’s all about: protecting these people and not stopping at just the fact “that they are not intended to remain on French territory”, as we heard at the prefecture or at the police station. Do nothing “being able to do so given their administrative situation” is not inevitable, but the deliberate choice of inaction.
By refusing to take this violence into account, by refusing to believe it, to welcome it, another violence is carried out, and this time, emanating from our institutions.
A certain number of legislative provisions guaranteeing the rights of foreign victims of violence have been obtained in recent years: some can request asylum, others, victims of human trafficking, must benefit from a refugee card. stay if they file a complaint and prove their distance from the operator.
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