Women victims of domestic violence can now find an attentive police ear at the André-Grégoire hospital in Montreuil.
They can file a complaint or simply inquire.
This weekly permanence, already set up at the Maison des femmes in Saint-Denis, had long been called for by the nursing team.
"Filing a complaint is a sensitive point," says Dr. Stéphanie Sanyan, obstetrician gynecologist at the hospital.
There was some groundwork in the police stations, but a few years ago it was very difficult.
We prepared the certificates with the women, we physically accompanied them to lodge a complaint.
It was a bit handcrafted.
"
The blockages can still be numerous.
"There is the fear of being judged by the police, the fear of not being heard, once again, or even of being mocked," continues the doctor, referent of the dedicated personalized support unit (UAP). vulnerable women.
I have stories of women who wanted to kill themselves after being at the police station.
"
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"The police still have the image of a world of men," admits Aymeric, the duty police officer met on the Wednesday of our visit.
Assigned for five years to the family protection brigade, he followed a training of “two or three days” on the delicate subject of domestic violence, at the territorial directorate of local security.
"It was not so much on the behavior to be had as on the psychology of the victim," he recalls.
It takes a long time for a victim to come and file a complaint, it is something difficult and courageous, he must be encouraged to continue.
"
Police officers from Montreuil, Rosny-sous-Bois, Clichy-sous-Bois, Noisy-le-Grand and Neuilly-sur-Marne will take turns providing these hotlines, which are open to women wishing to file a complaint, even if they are not not followed at the Montreuil hospital.
At the Maison des femmes in Saint-Denis, backing onto the Delafontaine hospital, these weekly hotlines have existed since 2019. The police see between three and four women per week, according to Dr. Ghada Hatem.
There, the device is intended for women already followed by the healthcare team.