Paroles de Femmes 81 is an association founded 20 years ago and based in Gaillac, where it offers support services, as well as in other parts of the department. It is a member of the Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes, which manages the 39 19 hotline at the national level, a number for women victims of violence established in 1992 and which has been available 24/7 since 2021.
The Federation brings together more than 80 associations in France that provide reception, support, and for some, accommodation for women victims of violence and their children. On this last point, Paroles de Femmes collaborates with another association, the Maison des femmes d’Albi.
"We are a small team of employees, but very motivated and committed to this work to welcome, support, and find solutions for the women who come to see us and their children, to provide listening, set up systems related to individual issues, and connect with partners in the department, even in the region, when it comes to sheltering women who are in danger,” explains Janique Lauret.
For the association, a central and cross-cutting issue is that of rurality. Since 2016, Paroles de Femmes has developed actions aimed at women in rural areas to be as accessible as possible and to think about outreach.
Within the Federation, a National Rurality Commission has been established, where we work together to create specific systems. For some, this will be a mobile bus. For others, it will be decentralized support services.
Paroles de Femmes has been developing the rural relay system for 9 years now, which trains professionals or engaged citizens to acquire knowledge about gender-based violence, male violence, how it works, why it persists, and what coercive control is. Once trained, they can, if needed, redirect individuals to the association or other partners in the department.
“50% of femicides occur in rural areas, while only 30% of the population lives there,” emphasizes Janique Lauret. “There is also a higher proportion of firearms in rural areas. The issue of silence arises as well, when you live in a village where your husband knows the mayor, knows the police. In short, a whole host of specific barriers and obstacles. So, we are really trying to work collectively to find ways to overcome these obstacles related to rurality.”
