82 companies in the Somme are committed to combating domestic violence

Can employers take action against domestic violence that affects their employees? 82 companies from the Somme committed to doing this during a day organized at the prefecture, where they signed a charge and spoke with the reference association in the department, AGENA.

“I lost an employee to domestic violence. I get emotional when I talk about it, because I was helpless. We didn't detect anything. We were the first to arrive on stage“, testifies, her voice full of emotion, the director of a company during the meeting organized at the Somme prefecture.

“I think it's very important to talk about it, because the company has great strength to combat this scourge.she continues. At work too, that of violent people, because we talk a lot about victims, not enough about violent people. In 350 employees, we have as many violent people as victims.”

Faced with this serious phenomenon which is increasingly mobilizing, 82 business leaders were present in the room, to commit to opening a dialogue on intra-family violence within their structures and to equip themselves with tools to better welcome the words of the victims.

The numbers are staggering. In 2023, 271,000 people in France were victims of domestic violence, 14.5% more than the previous year. 87% of victims are women, the Somme is one of the departments most affected by domestic violence.

The same year, 55 incidents of domestic violence were recorded in Roye alone, 2,296 in the department, or 28% more than the previous year. This increase in figures also reflects an increase in the number of victims who dare to file complaints and better consideration of their testimonies.

To continue to strengthen the measures to combat this violence, the AGENA association now wants to include professional actors in its network, starting with the 82 companies signatories to the charter against domestic, sexist and intra-family violence.

“It is useful and above all urgent, given the high figures in the Somme, to act together, in cohesion, to communicate more with the victims and perpetrators of violence.underlines Gwenaëlle Leroy, director of the AGENA association. Companies have their place in this network, the impact is strong, because among the victims of violence, we have people who work. It is a decisive place for our action to combat violence.“

She welcomes the fact that companies “don't have to be convinced“, but are volunteers to join this collective effort. Its objective is to create spaces for dialogue within professional environments, with tools that allow employees to reflect on the nature of intra-family violence and employers to better detect and welcome violence. possible victims.

The Martelle bookstore signed the charter in June 2024. Marianne Belguise, director of human resources for the Martelle group, is the referent for this system of committed companies. “We all know people around us who are victims of this violence. It seemed very important to us to be able to act as a relay within the company, to raise awareness among as many people as possible and to be able to direct victims. The idea is to inform about all the organizations that exist. The company is powerless to help them, but can direct them to the right people“, indicates Marianne Belguise.

The company displayed the violence meter, a scale of actions that could be considered domestic violence, in the break room. “This has created a lot of discussion, it allows us to open the door to all these things, which are a bit taboo.“, states the HRD.

She hopes that the approach can help create a climate of trust and more vigilance on this issue. “Our CSE also has a role to play, like all employees. Often, victims of domestic violence are excluded from their family life and find themselves isolated. Work is a bit like the last social interactions. So if we turn a blind eye to things that seem abnormal or changing to us, it's a shame” concludes Marianne Belguise.

Three employees of the bookstore seem to approve of the approach. “I think it's really good, a lot of companies should do it. We just talked about it and there are a lot of things that we're normalizing that shouldn't be. For example being mocked in the streetLéa Pruvot observes. I think I won't have any trouble talking about it with Marianne. If we're feeling bad and she asks us, why not talk about it? Maybe it will do some good too.“

Even though it can be tricky to talk about your personal life at work, the bookstore's work-study worker, Manon Piatti, seems just as enthusiastic as her colleague. “It's always complicated to talk about your own problems, but you have to do it and sometimes, with someone outside the family, it's simpler. If you have a drop in morale, explaining why rather than leaving the employer in the dark is perhaps more beneficial than remaining silent.“

The three young women have in their hands a pocket version of the violence meter. They read the charter. These tools create dialogue. “Just by seeing the charter, we realize that there are things that we have trivialized even though this is not normal. It can help us identify with our colleagues, who also become friends, because the atmosphere here is family“, concludes Séléna De Oliveira.

The effectiveness of the system will undoubtedly depend on the climate that reigns within the company. Gwenaëlle Leroy hopes that new tools will emerge from these meetings between the associative and professional world, for better support for victims. It remains to be seen whether associations helping women victims of violence will have sufficient resources to support those referred to them by employers.

With Christelle Juteau-Lermechin / FTV