Since 1867, the Dispensaire Français-Société Française de Bienfaisance, heir to a long charitable tradition, has been helping French and French-speaking people in the UK through medical and social work.
On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I was keen to visit the premises, which provide care for vulnerable people, including, all too often, women who are victims of violence. According to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), nearly 2 million women and girls are victims of violence every year in the UK, and only 24% of domestic violence is reported.
In France, equality between women and men has been a major cause of the French President's five-year presidency for several years now. Although there is still, and always will be, much to be done, much has been done since 2017 to better prevent violence, better care for women and better protect them, including :
- Grenelle on domestic violence;
- Opening 3919 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;
- Development of anti-seizure bracelets and serious danger telephones;
- Training for police officers;
- Recruitment of social workers in police stations and gendarmerie brigades;
- Creation of emergency accommodation.
Today, new measures have been announced by the Prime Minister, in line with the actions taken since 2017 by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron:- A reinforced fight against chemical submission, thanks to the work of my colleague Sandrine Josso, with the experimentation of reimbursed screening kits and the launch of a communication campaign;
- The extension to new health establishments of the filing of complaints in hospital ;
- Increasing the budget for universal emergency aid ;
- The opening of a Women's Centre in every département by the end of 2025.
Once again, just one word: thank you to the doctors and teams, both French and British, including its director Jérôme Walczak-Capèle, for their dedication and their welcome !
