around a hundred bakeries in Haute-Vienne are mobilizing

This Monday, November 25, a day to combat violence against women, the Haute-Vienne department has decided to focus on victims in rural areas. The prefect has launched an awareness campaign in around a hundred bakeries which will distribute bread bags displaying a “violentometer”.

A priorinothing has changed in the bakery of Saint-Maurice-les-Brousses, a town of a thousand inhabitants located in the south of Haute-Vienne. However, since Monday morning, the drumsticks have been slipped into somewhat unusual bags, on which a “violentometer” is printed. The principle turns out to be simple: a sort of thermometer is displayed there, going from green to red, to measure whether a romantic relationship is based on consent and does not involve violence. The behaviors described, more or less serious, range from “blackmail” to “threat with a weapon”.

“The bakery is a place where you can go every dayapproves a customer. It may be easier to alert or take refuge if there is something.” The bread bag also features useful phone numbers to contact in case of emergency. Sensitized by the murder of a woman which took place in a neighboring town, the boss immediately agreed to participate in this campaign: “We hear about these stories too often and we need to raise awareness to prevent this from happening again.“

Coming to promote the initiative, the prefect of Haute-Vienne, François Pesnau, welcomes the mobilization of the ninety bakeries in Haute-Vienne concerned. “On this bread bag, you have a QR Code which links to all the serviceshe specifies. This allows, in a very discreet way, to save lives, or at least to help women who are in difficulty.“

Although less densely populated, rural areas represent 47% of murders of women committed in France, according to a 2021 report from the women's rights delegation in the Senate. In a public meeting organized this Monday, November 25 in Bellac, Manon Meunier, La France Insoumise MP for Haute-Vienne, highlighted several factors explaining this observation, from geographic isolation to economic precariousness. Far from cities, women victims of domestic violence struggle to find information relays or shelters. “Here, in Bellac, for example, it is the “Ieles” association which sets up emergency accommodation, an apartment to accommodate women in distress.she explains. The State should provide more resources and also take charge of these essential things.“

Through several discussion workshops, the MP will collaborate with these associations present on the ground. Their joint work will lead to the writing of a bill. This will aim to establish a better network of the territory, in particular by increasing the number of reception centers. It will be presented to Parliament on March 8, the date of International Women's Day.