Since its creation in 2014, Women safe & children has aimed to challenge established ideas about violence. It is committed to launching a new way of supporting victims.
Professionals need to be more aware and engaged in order to identify and establish evidence. The idea is also to bring them together in one place.
Women safe & children recognizes that violence is often treated in isolation, while a person can be affected by multiple aspects at once. “It is important to consider the entirety of a person's life to see how the violence experienced in childhood may have impacted them in adulthood; otherwise, the situation could persist throughout their life,” emphasizes Frédérique Martz.
Since 2017, the association has expanded its support to children, who are no longer seen as witnesses but as victims.
Particular emphasis is also placed on rural areas. “There are few health actors and few associative networks there,” explains the founder of Women safe & children. “Rurality implies a lack of confidentiality and the presence of blind spots that hinder systems such as phones or anti-approach bracelets. Therefore, there is a necessity to engage in these areas.”
The Women safe & children network also provides training in companies and for professionals.
Considering the impacts of violence on the brain, with the advent of neuroscience, is an especially valuable tool. “Violence gets lodged in the brain and is regularly reactivated,” explains Frédérique Martz. “This demonstration has allowed many professionals to better understand what a victim is, which also helps the victim understand why they could not react, enabling them to regain control of their life.”
