The Pelicot affair reminds us that violence against women is still very present in our society.
After several associations spoke, under the gaze of elected officials and college students, the prefect of Maine-et-Loire Philippe Chopin and the mayor and president of the Communal Social Action Center (CCAS) of Chemillé-en-Anjou, Hervé Martin, signed this Monday, November 4, 2024, a local mobilization and coordination contract on sexist and sexual violence, at the Théâtre Foirail, in Chemillé-en-Anjou.
This contract is not a end in itself
but one commitment to the future
insisted Gérard Lefebvre, deputy for Social Action. A contract which is based on three parts: Prevention, support and cooperation.
Our action only makes sense if we are able to prevent and act before these acts of violence are perpetrated.
he recalled, before an artistic performance by the L’Arbre à fil company.
Violentometers with baguettes
To prevent and take action against violence against women, several local bakeries have agreed to sell their baguettes in packaging flocked with a violence meter during the weekend from Saturday November 23 to Sunday November 24, 2024. Created in Paris in 2018 , this tool illustrates everyday situations on a graduated scale, going from green to red, to indicate their degree of violence. Its main objective is to help women become aware of what they can experience in a romantic or friendly relationship.
The CCAS of Chemillé-en-Anjou, in partnership with the local feminist collective, the departmental delegate for Women's Rights and the Solidarité Femmes 49 association, has also announced that it will present two exhibitions in November. “Portraits of women”, produced by students from the Jeanne-de-Lanoue high school, and the “Engrenages” exhibition can be found from November 4 to 30, 2024 at the Chemillé-en-Anjou town hall.
A van and hundreds of accompaniments in 2023
In the past, other actions have already been undertaken by Chemillé-en-Anjou and its CCAS. In 2021, a partnership with local ambulance workers was established to provide rapid shelter for victims of domestic violence. In 2022 and 2023, awareness sessions were organized to train delegated mayors and reception agents, in particular to better prepare them to manage these situations.
The Solidarité Femmes 49 association, which supported more than 1,000 women victims of domestic and intra-family violence in the department in 2023, finally deployed its famous converted van in front of the theater this Monday. This vehicle, nicknamed Gisèle in homage to the feminist activist Gisèle Halimi, travels across Anjou to raise awareness, but above all a place of welcome and listening for women who cannot or do not dare to travel, in rural areas as well as in neighborhoods.
While a feminicide occurs on average every three days in France, the president of the association, Chantal Jeoffroy, insists on it again and again: No victim is responsible.
As a reminder, women victims of violence can, at any time, call 3919, a national, anonymous and free number. They can also go to the platform for reporting gender-based and sexual violence, accessible at the address arretonslesviolences.gouv.fr, where they can communicate 24 hours a day with police officers and gendarmes specially trained for these situations.
