For survivors of gender-based violence in French overseas territories, ‘silence prevails’

Issued on: 29/07/2023 – 19:20

4 min

Yassimina Moumini speaks to women who have fled violent partners on a daily basis. As the coordinator of a women’s centre in Mayotte, a French overseas territory northwest of Madagascar, it’s her job to support them. 

On a sunny July morning, she recounts how she took in Fiona*, aged 23. “She knocked on our doors because she couldn’t afford to feed her two young children after leaving her husband, who had beaten her,” she says. “She only had three euros in her pocket. She is very brave.”  

Unfortunately, cases like Fiona’s are far from being isolated. Women in French overseas territories are much more likely to experience domestic violence than those in mainland France. In Martinique and Guadeloupe for example, one in five women suffer from domestic abuse, compared to one in ten on the mainland.  

According to a report by French feminist organisation En avant tout(e)s (meaning “full steam ahead” or “onwards” in English) published on July 11, many factors explain the disparity. Poverty, geographical isolation, cultural norms and family pressures all play a role.  

‘Silence prevails’  

While it’s difficult to draw a complete panoramic image of violence against women in each of France’s 11 overseas territories, for the members of En avant tout(e)s, the issue is largely underestimated. Their report unearthed common underlying obstacles preventing women from speaking out, from French Polynesia in the southeastern Pacific ocean all the way to Mayotte in the Indian ocean.  

“All overseas territories are geographically isolated and demographically dense,” explains Aurélie Garnier-Brun, director of development and sponsorship at En avant tout(e)s. “Insularity can create a strong sense of interconnection [i.e. familiarity within communities], which in turn can give a person the feeling they’re being watched by their community,” says Garnier-Brun. “As a result, it will hold them back from speaking out. So silence prevails.”  

Cultural norms and family pressures are clear contributors to the silence Garnier-Brun refers to. Customary law can conflict with common law in some territories, which can be a risk factor for women facing violence. In New Caledonia, for example, “certain [indigenous] Kanak tribes have traditions that require victims of violence to ask forgiveness from their abusers,” says Garnier-Brun.  

A survivor’s journey 

Geographical restrictions are also to blame. Living on a volcanic island, an archipelago or a heavily forested territory like French Guiana can make accessing legal institutions or support structures more difficult. In Mayotte, where barges and taxis are the most common means of transport, victims are easily discouraged from leaving an abusive home for financial reasons.  

And even once they’ve fled, complications persist. “A mother of five, including two middle-schoolers, faced many obstacles to keeping her children in school after she was taken into our emergency accommodation centre,” says Moumini from the women’s centre in Mayotte. 

Since the woman had left her home, “she was no longer a resident of her township and there were no busses between the centre and the middle school, so she had to find a solution. She had to either pay a taxi or resort to hitchhiking to transport her kids, but that quickly became difficult. She didn’t have the means to pay for a taxi every day, but it was essential to keep her children from either dropping out or returning to the village where her abuser lives.”  

Like many grassroots organisations, the women’s centre in Mayotte where Moumini works is trying to help these women. They offer accommodation, legal aid and psychological support. “We want to give them the means to rebuild their lives,” she explains. “We want them to know they’re not alone and that they can have a better life.”  

Filling in the gaps 

Despite their goodwill, local organisations are running out of steam. Though more and more women need their services, their means are insufficient. “For organisations to be able to do their job well, they need more financial resources. That’s the heart of the matter,” Garnier-Brun insists. “[More money] would enable them to recruit new staff members, develop prevention programmes and increase their impact. Right now, many organisations rely on donations and volunteers, which isn’t enough to meet the demand for their services.”  

Some overseas territories also lack professionals with proper training in dealing with gender-based violence and sexual abuse. “There aren’t enough social workers and psychologists to fill the number of vacant posts in French Guiana,” says Audrey Buguellou, coordinator of the programme on violence against women set up by L’arbre fromager, a feminist NGO based in the territory’s capital Cayenne. “For some university degrees, young people must go study in mainland France – and they don’t necessarily want to go back home straight away,” she says.  

The organisations also want to step up work in prevention. For the past year, Buguellou has been running awareness-raising campaigns in French Guiana’s indigenous communities which are only accessible by plane or pirogue (a type of canoe). “When you talk about domestic violence in these communities and you come from mainland France, it’s a complicated thing to be welcomed,” she explains. “In general, we let people come to us to lift the veil on these taboos in a kind and non-stigmatising way. It’s a long-term job, but it’s essential for changing mindsets.”     

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality 

This article is a translation of the original in French.