The hashtag and the DoublePeine collective denounce poor care for victims of sexual violence in certain French police stations. The testimonies are maddening, and the collective wishes to raise the alert on the site to be carried out for the support of the victims.
How many people actually file a complaint after a rape? The debate on the figures returns regularly between the authorities and the support structures for the victims of this crime. It is estimated that less than 20% of rape victims file a complaint. And when they do, it can be an obstacle course that begins. It is the feminist activist Anna Toumazoff who launched the alert on her Instagram account, in a story dating from the last week of September 2021. One of her subscribers tells her how her little sister was welcomed at the central police station in Montpellier. The official who welcomes her, after hearing the terrifying story of the young girl who has been followed to her home and raped, asks her if she has enjoyed it. This shocking story triggers dozens of others testifying to the same alleged facts in the same police station. Women victims of rape say they were made to feel guilty about their outfit, their drunkenness, dissuaded from filing a complaint on the pretext that it was unnecessary … The Hérault prefecture reacted on September 28, 2021 via an official press release accusing Anna of defamation .
DoublePeine, a call to change the reception at the police station
The same day, the hashtag #DoublePeine is launched. It collects testimonies from all over France on the poor reception given to victims of rape and sexual assault in France. On September 30, 2021, a group of activists launched the Double Peine collective. The name denounces what the stories collected bear witness to: after an assault, many victims are humiliated or intimidated by officials supposed to listen to them and take their complaint with respect.
The collective demands respect for women’s rights, which involves numerous measures. First, an outright respect for the Penal Code which requires officials to provide a decent welcome to victims. Then a control of the police stations posing a problem. Finally, the creation of a network of female guides to support victims in filing a complaint. The creation of this collective is also a call to react on the part of the public authorities, which have declared the fight against violence against women the great cause of the five-year term. This is not the first time that the problem of training police officers to receive complaints of gender-based violence has been problematic. In March 2021, the national police recognized “an awkwardness” in a tweet that made victims feel guilty rather than deterring offenders : “Sending a nude is agreeing to take the risk of seeing this shared photo.” The reversal of guilt still seems very real throughout French society, including police institutions. Contacted by BFM, Philippe Lavenue, Occitanie regional secretary of the Alliance Police union declares that the questions put to the victims do not call into question the words of the victims, “But we need some evidence to consolidate the case, and whether the person is indeed guilty of the charges, for them to be convicted. These questions are embarrassing, but necessary.”
If you have experienced a guilty or dissuasive reception when filing a complaint and you wish to testify, you can write to: [email protected]