Domestic violence: a feminist association denounces the poor reception of women by the police

"

Madam, we don't stay when things go badly

", "

When you're in a relationship with these people, you have to expect to take hits", "Why didn't you push him away?

Why didn't you go?

": These sentences collected by the collective #NousToutes, would be those heard by women when they came to the police station to file a complaint for sexual or gender-based violence.

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In just 15 days, nearly 3,500 people responded to a call for testimonies launched by the feminist collective in early March.

And the result is clear: 40% of people who have lodged a complaint, or tried to do so, testify to poor support at the police station or gendarmerie and 26% declare both a good and a bad reception.

In total, 66% of respondents, 97% of whom are women, testify to poor support from the police.

Among the testimonies dating from the last two years and concerning acts of domestic violence, 59% are not satisfied with the reception which they have been given by the police.

However, during the presentation on March 5 of the results of the 2020 audit on the reception of victims of domestic violence in police stations and brigades, the Ministry of the Interior affirmed that "

90% of the victims considered that their performance was satisfactory. reception

”in these establishments, and that“

95% say they had no difficulty in registering their complaint

”.

"

Discrepancy with the reality on the ground

"

Figures "

totally out of step with the reality on the ground with which feminist associations are confronted or with the testimonies which are multiplying on social networks

" writes #NousToutes in a press release.

It is also following the publication of the results of this audit, and the testimony of an Internet user on Twitter, that #NousToutes launched its call for testimonials.

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The method used by the general inspectorates of the police (IGPN) and the national gendarmerie (IGGN) to conduct the audit of the Ministry of the Interior can partly shed light on the figures obtained.

The investigation relates only to the experience in police stations of 2,072 victims who were able to lodge a complaint, "

and not those who left before doing so, because we cannot access them

" declared Marlène Schiappa, Minister Delegate to the Ministry. of the Interior, in an interview with

Liberation

.

However, the people to whom the police or gendarmes refused to take complaints are not isolated cases.

55% of women who testified to #NousToutes about poor support by the police in cases of domestic violence evoke a "

refusal to take the complaint or a discouragement to take the complaint

".

"

Lies

"

Caroline De Haas, founder of #NousToutes, accuses the results of the Interior Ministry's audit of being “false”.

"

We know that there are massive dysfunctions in the reception of women, and rather than saying 'there is a problem we are going to treat it' we are making a completely false communication to say that there is no of problem, at least it is incompetence but it is especially malicious.

"

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Contacted by

Le Figaro

, the Ministry of the Interior reacted to the discrepancy between the figures presented in early March and those published by #NousToutes by declaring that it was doing “

everything to improve the reception of women in police stations and gendarmerie brigades .

In recent years, the reception of women has improved significantly, there are things that we still heard five years ago that we no longer hear today

", and to declare that"

every day about 400 law enforcement interventions save women's lives in the face of domestic violence.

The Grenelle measures on domestic violence have made it possible to establish grids for assessing the danger or the seizure of weapons: it is concrete and effective.

We remain mobilized so that 100% of complaints are taken, qualified and forwarded!

".

On social networks, the #NousToutes collective launched the hashtag #PrendsMaPlainte on March 24.

Since then, dozens of people have testified on Twitter about their experiences in the police or gendarmerie.