This November 25 is the International Day to Combat Violence Against Women. At Le Tampon, chief warrant officer Myriam Barreau has been head of the Intra-Family Violence (VIF) group since 2021, which takes care of victims. (Photo photo Sly/www.imazpress.com)
With 26 years of experience in the gendarmerie, Myriam Barreau is today “the guarantor of respect for the rights of victims” within her barracks.
While the treatment of victims of gender-based and sexual violence is regularly criticized, the national gendarmerie has created these VIF groups. “There were some failures, the gendarmerie pulled out all the stops to prevent situations from being poorly taken into account. We have to be vigilant,” underlines Myriam Barreau.
“The gendarmerie had to reorganize itself, and specialize certain personnel, to have certain reflexes on the specific care requested by the victims. These specialized gendarmes focus solely on this cause. “We must not add trauma to trauma,” says the chief warrant officer.
13 agents are trained in the Tampon barracks, out of the three local brigades present in the town.
– Better reception for victims of domestic violence –
“As soon as a receptionist determines that the victim is there in a case of VIF, we take them aside so that they do not have to explain the reason for their arrival. It’s more intimate, it helps to free speech”, notes Myriam Barreau.
“The objective is then to assess the danger of the situation presented to us, by doing a questionnaire. We ask simple questions to find out if the victim is isolated, if they have already been the victim of violence before, “there is a history concerning his attacker…All this determines the vulnerability”, she explains.
Then it’s time for the deposition. “So as not to miss out, we have a questionnaire which will take up all the previous questions, going deeper. We will ask if there has been psychological, economic, sexual violence…”, she lists.
“We have a duty to inform victims about the associations that can take over, but also about the protection devices that exist, such as the anti-reconciliation bracelet, the serious danger telephone… We show victims the possibilities that exist to protect them.”
– Control, an increasingly well-known phenomenon –
“It’s a terrible phenomenon, it characterizes psychological and moral violence,” laments Myriam Barreau. “These are locks to get out of the relationship.”
It is not uncommon for women victims of violence to return to their tormentor. “There are several departures before the victim definitively leaves her violent partner,” recalls the gendarme.
She also recalls that it is in this context that the “new start pack” was set up in the south of the island, allowing victims to obtain financial assistance to find shelter. “It’s tailor-made support, to adapt to the needs of the victim. This project is led by the CAF, and we have a role of detector to make the link,” explains the chief warrant officer.
Some people also refuse to file a complaint. “The woman can be heard, but without being ready to file a complaint. We will launch an investigation, and the prosecutor will decide on the criminal consequences. But some, after several hours of testimony, do not want to file a complaint”, underlines- She.
“We still have to manage to get their words back. We sometimes realize that before arriving home, there were episodes of violence…” she breathes. “They sometimes tend to trivialize things, a slap, insults…That’s how the influence sets in, and I remind them that none of that is normal.”
– Children, collateral victims –
Children are also increasingly taken into account in these cases of domestic violence. “They are increasingly heard in the context of these procedures, and there is psychological care for these minors,” assures Myriam Barreau.
Essential care, when every year, femicide leaves dozens of orphans traumatized by having seen their father kill their mother or discover her body. Feminicide protocols organize their emergency treatment but are not yet extended across the territory.
In 2023, 124 children lost their mother to femicide. Among them, 22 were present and two discovered the body. In 2022, there were 148, including 38 witnesses, identified the collective feminicides by companion or ex.
“I think there is awareness of this problem, which also concerns men, who represent 15% of victims of domestic violence,” says Myriam Barreau. “There must be no more misses, at any time of the night, the victim will be welcomed here,” she insists.
Réunion is the fourth most violent department in France towards women after Seine-Saint-Denis, Guyana and Pas-de-Calais.
According to law enforcement figures, on average 12 women victims of violence presented themselves every day in 2023 at a police station or gendarmerie brigade in La Réuion to file a complaint.
• If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can contact 3919, the national reference number for telephone support and guidance for women victims of violence. Advisors are available 24 hours a day. Réunion is the fourth French department in terms of domestic violence.
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VIF, Gendarmerie, International Day to Combat Violence Against Women, Chief Warrant Officer Myriam Barreau
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