2Gether4Victims Project Partners Gather in France
Last week, VSE colleagues Aleksandra Ivankovic, Bruno Monteiro and Patrycja Kowalczyk, travelled to France as part of a study visit organised within the 2Gether4Victims project, along with our partners from Croatia (Zenska Soba, Victim and Witness Support Croatia), France (ADAVI 58), Lithuania (Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius Institute for Advanced Studies, Klaipeda Social and Psychological Assistance Center), the Netherlands (Slachtofferhulp Nederland) and Portugal (APAV | Apoio à Vítima | Victim Support Portugal and FEM Feministas em Movimento). The aim of the visit was to observe the measures and policies designed to support women victims of violence, to exchange ideas and take note of best practices observed in French, particularly those implemented by Fédération France Victimes and its members.
On the 3rd of September, we met with the Interministerial Delegation for Victim Assistance (DIAV) at the premises of the French Ministry of Justice. We heard how DIAV has increased the coordination of victim assistance services in France. We learned of notable practices in the areas of monitoring, support and compensation for victims of acts of terrorism, mass accidents, natural disasters and criminal offenses.
In the morning of the 4th of September, partners met with Ghada Hatem-Gantzer – the creator of the Maison des Femmes (House of women). Maison des Femmes is located next to the hospital in Saint-Denis, with a private, secure entrance. It is a one-stop-shop facility, where women who have suffered sexual violence, domestic violence, genital mutilation, and rape are cared for by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and are further supported by the police, justice, and legal professionals to escape the situation of violence
In the afternoon, the group travelled to Meaux, to meet with the local victim support association AVIMEJ. The AVIMEJ team presented the measures applied to effectively support and protect women victims of violence such as the teleprotection system for victims of DV (TGD) and the anti-rapprochement bracelet (BAR).
During the last day, on the 5th of September, participants had a chance to hear about the common intervention procedure applied in Nevers to support victims in a coordinated manner, involving professionals from the Prosecutor’s office, the gendarmerie and the victim support association ANDAVI. Then, colleagues from Fédération France Victimes presented the work of the national 116 006 helpline and how they work with facility dogs to make trial hearings less traumatic for victims
The visit was a great opportunity for members of the 2Gether4Victims consortium to meet and exchange knowledge with their French counterparts.
