In Essonne, domestic violence has exploded since the first confinement with 2,543 cases in court in 2021, against 1,900 in 2018. And in Corbeil-Essonnes, the second city of the department, it is the first of the offenses dealt with by the police, who opened a dedicated cell.
They increased by 23% between the first half of 2021 and 2022. That is around twenty facts per month.
Read alsoDomestic violence: in Essonne, victims detected in emergencies to help file a complaint
Faced with this observation, the municipality decided to launch a municipal observatory of violence against women.
There are about twenty of them in France, some on the scale of the department, as in Seine-Saint-Denis where Ernestine Ronai, was a pioneer and came to advise the town hall of Corbeil.
These structures are sometimes articulated at the regional level, where they are supported by an association.
Corbeil-Essonnes is the seventh town in the country to have a municipal observatory.
“We are in a period of women's liberation.
It's another time to belittle them.
It is a cultural phenomenon, Mayor Bruno Piriou (DVG).
Before, it was fine.
Not anymore, and one day there won't be any more.
But strong public action is needed.
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Train staff to “listen to and guide these women”
What exactly will this observatory be used for?
“We are going to carry out a diagnosis on the city to understand the phenomenon, to see the actions that work, those that need to be improved, explains Katty Jorge-Maia, project manager for the fight against violence against women.
We are going to network all the actors (Editor's note: municipal and national police, CAF, public prosecutor's office, southern Ile-de-France hospital, prefecture, associations, donors, etc.) to act effectively.
The realization of this diagnosis should start in September with the help of students.
A long job that should take a year.
Katty Jorge-Maia (in a black dress), surrounded by Monia Aissa, delegate against violence against women (left), Bruno Piriou, mayor of Corbeil Essonne and Ernestine Ronai, a figure in the fight against feminicides, during the inauguration of the observatory on violence against women in Corbeil-Essonnes.
DR
In the meantime, Katty Jorge-Maia will work to train all municipal staff in contact with the public, so that they can "listen and guide these women victims of violence".
The objective is that the latter benefit from effective support that is not an obstacle course, whether for the legal, psychological or housing aspects, etc.
Actions in schools, colleges and high school
The other main focus of the observatory will be to educate young people during their schooling.
This work has already begun in schools and colleges in the city and many actions are planned.
“We want to do a mock trial on sexual harassment at work with high school students from Doisneau, says Katty Jorge-Maia.
Take students to sessions of the criminal court, participate in the eloquence contest with the Justice and City association, or even launch a rap song rewriting workshop.
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Read alsoEssonne: her violent spouse sneaks into her home by trickery, she activates the “great danger” phone
Katty Jorge-Maia, who trained as a lawyer, also provides legal services for women and men who have been victims of violence at the Essonne solidarity house, at the PMI de la Nacelle, at the Mozards planning center and at the Communal Center for Social Action.
A stand will also be present on the urban beach which starts at the end of the week.
Poster and awareness campaigns will also begin in the city this fall.
"We would like to have a partnership with pharmacies and bakeries to be able to print the violentometer on the sachets (a very simple test to assess the degree of violence of which one is a victim, editor's note).
We are also present on the social networks Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.
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