Toulouse. The quantified reality of domestic violence
A young woman died under the blows of her companion in mid-September in Toulouse. The opportunity to discuss this issue and the responses of justice.
When his companion left prison, this Toulousaine signified the end of their relationship. The beginning of an ordeal, between direct violence and threats: 1,600 messages or calls in two weeks! The author has these cascading calls, not the violence this week in the face of the police officers of the Right Bank attacks on people unit. A custody among the thirty (!) Registered since Monday by the national police in the department. And among the gendarmes, very active in the cells of the fight against domestic violence (CELVIC) currently present on the companies of Toulouse-Mirail, Toulouse-Saint-Michel and Villefranche-de-Lauragais, a dozen cases have been processed since Monday .
“Today 40% of police custody ordered by the Toulouse prosecutor’s office concern domestic violence,” warns Alice Gardair, deputy prosecutor. With the deputy prosecutor Bérengère Lacam, these magistrates of the public prosecutor’s office occupy the role of specialized referents. “We must take decisions to prosecute without making mistakes. We have a wide range of criminal responses, from call to order up to immediate comparison or the opening of a judicial investigation with indictment and possibly, a incarceration “, details the magistrate.
Since January, the Toulouse public prosecutor’s office has handled 1,824 cases, whether they involve harassment, threats, violence or even murder – already five! In 2020, particularly because of confinement, “it was more difficult for victims to file a complaint,” warns the prosecution. 2,189 complaints were registered.
In 2021, the criminal responses reflect firmness: 37 prison sentences handed down in particular in the context of immediate comparisons (83 cases in 2021), 23 instructions opened for the most serious facts, 178 summons by report almost always accompanied by checks strict judicial system, 66 summons on prior acknowledgment of guilt, 322 awareness-raising courses over two days, at the expense of the authors (200 €) or even 309 contact bans, 245 publication bans and the provision of seven “great danger” telephones “. “A very useful tool because it reassures the victims and allows them to find a more serene life”, specifies the prosecution.
“All this work is carried out in partnership with France victims 31, the probation services of the prison administration and of course the police,” said prosecutor Samuel Simon-Vuelta (read the interview on the next page) . Investigators “better and better trained, more specialized which allows a better job”, appreciates the prosecution. But this matter is not an exact science and despite all the efforts developed, tragedies still occur.
For better support
Yesterday, throughout France, the #NousToutes collective organized a mobilization to denounce the failures of the State and the legal system in handling cases of domestic violence and feminicides. In Toulouse, this gathering took place rue Alsace Lorraine. “These women who died were not helped despite their calls for help, it’s unacceptable,” says Malika, member of the # NousToutes31 collective. She denounces on behalf of the collective the 93 feminicides that have occurred in France since the beginning of the year. “How long are we going to keep counting the dead?” She gets angry. She hopes that the movement organized this Saturday will “be able to challenge citizens and encourage public authorities to act”. On November 21, a march is also organized throughout France. A rally is planned in Toulouse.