FRANCE
France DAPHNE REPORT
By Catherine Oelhoffen
France has been the starting point of the DAPHNE project; why?
After the creation of a women commission in our national council, with
the help of our French Blind Federation, in 2001, I organized the first
women seminar in Bordeaux. Then, for the first time, women dared to
speak of their problems and, among the most important; they talked about
violence of which they are victim.
So, in accordance with the European Blind Union Commission Liaising with
the European Union wishes, Mrs. Toros and I wrote a first survey about
this violence.
This first questionnaire have been difficult enough to analyze because
it was very complete and because women had so many things to say!...
Nevertheless, to-day, we are able to give you the results of our
questionnaire.
We sent 300 documents and we received 81 answers (27%).
However, it is important to mention that several women I know, told me
that they could not answer because it was too hard for them or, other
thing, some of them were much too afraid that their husband would know
of their «treason».
Among these 81 answers, only 24 said to be not concerned by violence (just
a little bit less than 30%) ; this means that more than 70% are
concerned !… It is enormous!
Among the ones who are concerned, in total: 46 have been victim of
verbal violence (56 %).
But, among these 46 women:
6 have faced verbal violence only (7%),
The others having faced verbal violence plus one or two or three other
forms of violence,
Results are as follow:
15 have faced verbal + psychological,
1 have faced verbal + physical,
9 have faced verbal + psychological + physical,
3 have faced verbal + psychological + sexual,
1 have faced verbal + sexual,
and: 11 have faced all the forms of violence (13, 5%).
Then, 44 women have been victims of psychological violence (more than 54
%) among whom: 6 said they have only faced psychological violence.
22 have been victims of physical violence (27 % ! ! !), amongst whom 1
has only faced physical violence (a finding that is a little astonishing
because we think that physical violence is rarely alone …)
27% is almost three times the national average of all French valid women!…
15 women have been victims of sexual violence (more than 18 %! ! !)
Violence is a reality!
These quantitative results are really revealing: they show that visually
impaired women are very vulnerable.
Now, let us look what about the different forms of violence.
1. Verbal violence only.
First of all, we must make it clear that women haven’t answered to all
the questions; so, sometimes, the results can look strange (not in
agreement with the number of answers) but, I give you the information
exactly as it was received.
Then, in 67% of cases, this violence occurred several times (31 on the
46 affected women).
a) In the public areas.
In majority, this kind of violence takes place in the streets (21 cases)
as for example:
When they hustle someone because they don’t see, people are aggressive.
Insults, hustles, mockeries about their handicap, about their white
stick or rude comments about their guide dog: «this dog, he is dirty, he
has fleas, he takes too much place». They hear also some other comments
such as: «when you can’t see, you should stay at home» or «move yourself,
you are in my way» or even «couldn't you look where you are going…». One
related: she is rather old, she often falls down, and people pay no
attention: general indifference. Several said that people refuse to help
them to cross a street or, on the contrary, some others have aggressive
reaction when they refuse the help which is imposed (not a desired
help).
Some one are also aggressed by their neighbors and aggressed also in the
shops by the other customers or the waiters themselves, in the
restaurants (2 have been ejected because they were blind).
b) In the transports.
Several women said that they have been aggressed in the bus and the
metro: by other passengers because of their maladroit ness; by the
driver (10 cases) because they don’t move fast enough.
In particular, one blind woman had been aggressing in the metro by a
madwoman who took her for someone else. This case is very interesting
because, amongst all the people who were in this metro, why did this
person choose precisely a blind woman? Unconsciously surely because she
was the most vulnerable…
c) At hospital.
2 had been aggressed by the doctor himself and 4 by the nurses, one by a
midwife.
Several speak of a refuse of giving practical information so that they
didn’t know how to activate the hand bell, where to find the toilet,
what they had to eat
d) At school or at the university.
Several said that they have been aggressed by their teachers or
professors when they were students because they didn’t understand some
exercises as fast as un-handicapped students.
e) In the family.
A quarter of the involved women have faced verbal violence from their
husbands but many others by their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters,
uncles, their sons (when they are adult), adolescents children and grown
up children; one spoke about a female cousin of whom she was the
sufferer.
f) At work.
10 of them have been aggressed at work: 5 by their colleagues, 4 by
their superiors (the last one didn’t say by whom).
Something that we read very often in this survey is: «maybe it is our
own attitude that makes others so aggressive»… This comment shows how
much women feel that they themselves are guilty.
2. Psychological violence.
Often, outburst of psychological violence and verbal violence are very
similar. The most important difference is that psychological violence
goes on for a longer time (25 women, more than 50%, said that this
violence lasted over several years). Also, this violence is often
committed by the closest relatives(14 women by their husband ; 5 by
their mothers ; 4 by their fathers ; the others by : brothers and
sisters, nephews and nieces, uncles, the in-laws, step-mothers, friends,
neighbors, a fourteen year old son, adolescent daughter, children in
adult age).
Nevertheless, we find again the same areas.
In the family : the words that we hear very often are : «you cannot do
it, you are not able to do it», repeated insults, devalorization,
discrimination (especially the little girls when they have brothers and
more so if they have a brother who isn’t handicapped), humiliations,
defamation : one woman relates that, having received a legacy from her
parents, a little larger than her brother and sister (probably the
parents wanted to protect their blind daughter after their death), her
whole family accused her of having influenced and detoured the heritage
; they told everybody that she was a thief, they took her to court, etc
: she was very depressed.
In adapted transports: one driver took his passenger inside her house
and always harassed her (indecent comments) ; a taxi driver left a blind
women very far from the requested address : she was completely lost.
In the hospital: several women talked about the great indifference of
the nurses, a real coldness; a blind mother has been psychologically
aggressing by a young doctor as she was just leaving her little ill baby
at hospital.
At work: A lady kinesis therapist has been harassed by her male
colleagues.
In supermarkets: some salesmen refuse to help them to find the products.
- Local people: some neighbors laughed at a blind woman every time she
was playing with her guide dog; a caretaker always damaged all the
parcels of another blind lady, another stole the letters.
Something very astonishing: a woman talks about bad treatments that she
faced during her rehabilitation stage in a specific center: she was
always devalorizated, humiliated…
Another, Murielle (of whom I already spoke about), a divorced blind
woman who lived with her two daughters, has been threatened by social
services: they accused her having negative attitude forward her eldest
daughter Virginie (17 and a half years old) ; Virginie had been absent
from school because she was physically ill but the judge thought that
she was psychologically ill because of her mother ; so, she (the judge
was a woman !) gave to an educative service to take charge of Virginie.
Murielle and Virginie were very very sad!… But they knew that it
wouldn’t be for a long period as Virginie was nearing 18 years old. Yes,
but social workers let Murielle understand that effectively if Virginie
would be soon out of their care, there was still Isabelle (11 years old),
the youngest daughter !…
This story has been a real scandal!
3. Physical violence.
11 women have faced physical violence several times, 5 having been
victim at least once.
Like psychological violence, physical violence is principally committed
by the closest relatives: 6 by the father, 5 by the mother, 6 by the
husband and as usual: brothers and sisters, adult children, other
members of the family, neighbors, colleagues, etc…
But, something very extraordinary: in this case as well as for sexual
violence, women give far less information than for verbal and
psychological violence!…
Nevertheless, this violence also happens in the streets: shoulder
dumping, spitting; one of the affected women has been attacked in the
street by a robber who stole her necklace; two were robbed when they
came out of the post-office with their money.
4. Sexual violence.
Often: 4 women;
Several times: 2 women;
At least once: 2 women;
The last ones didn’t precise.
3 were raped by their father, 4 by their husband, the others by: uncles,
friends, a driver of transport for disabled people, neighbors, even a
clergyman! A woman took a taxi in Spain and the driver drove her to an
unknown area, made indecent proposals but (she said) everything ended
well…. (We don’t know how…)
One woman said that she has been victim of an aggression in the street:
she has been kidnapped, beaten, raped, and sequestrated and all this,
with the complicity of the rapist’s wife. Another relates that when she
was 7 years old, she was on holidays at home of friends of her parents,
she was rapt. One of the blind women answering the survey said that she
has been rapt in a train, another at a bus stop (when she was young and
going to school), and another in a specific re-adaptation center by
another patient. One woman who was victim of a rap is now writing a book
about her story.
However, the details are rather scarce; women talk about: abuse,
harassment, funding, but the subject seems so difficult that women only
talk with general words and don’t give many details.
5. The consequences of violence
In total, amongst all the women who have faced violence, 27 said that as
a result of it, they had suffered psychological troubles : distress
(15), nightmares (12), breakdown (13), obsessions, phobias; one talk
about a lost of self confidence with a compulsive eating (putting on
weight), to feel like committing suicide or, on the contrary, the fear
of killing the aggressor. As for physical violence, women had long-term
injuries (4,) traces of wounds, haematoxylons (4)… One of them (the one who
has been sequestrated) said that she became claustrophobic. Another one
talked about a detached retina after receiving blows.
It is really horrible and nevertheless, women don’t give many details
regarding verbal or psychological violence.
However, 12 of them had the opportunity to produce evidence of this
violence but 12 others couldn’t be able to do anything. (The rest didn’t
say).
4 women had taken legal action but 20 more, in spite of having evidence
of violence, hadn’t any possibility to taking legal action.
Yet, 20 had spoke of their suffering to someone (the others couldn’t) of
whom 12 spoke to their family and 16 spoke also to friends; 16 too (probably
the same) to a health professional, 4 to an association.
In spite of these results, for the majority of the cases, violence is
always present and it is often because of the law of silence! Women
don’t want to speak about this problem... Why? Because they are afraid
of being undermined by the others (1), afraid of reprisals (2), ashamed
of themselves (3). Many didn’t reply to these questions...
Five women said clearly that they don’t want at all to speak about this
problem (we can see how it is a taboo subject), but nevertheless, three
of them who couldn’t spoke yet, would like to be able to do so today:
one to a psychologist, two to an association and 8 would like to be
helped now, either by a psychologist, a lawyer or an association; 5
would like to be helped by a support team; one even wishes to be
protected! What can we do? Another spoke to a clergyman, one said that
she spoke to an association but they didn’t take her problem seriously.
Fortunately, for 19 of them, today this violence has stopped either
through a separation (15), or through a medical treatment of the violent
person (one), even two by the arrest and the imprisonment of the culprit.
These results show that, for many of them (at least for 11 who have
answered the question) this violence exists still today!...
Something else very astonishing is that 37 women said that they to be
interested in setting up a support team but, except in Paris where Mrs.
Maudy Piot-blind and a psychologist- continues her paying meetings where
6 or 7 women regularly attend, when we propose that they participate in
a peer group, nobody or very few such people attend!…
Why? To the question: would you like a support team to be set up within
our network of visually impaired women, 22 say yes (16 say no, the rest
didn’t reply). To the question: if you have succeeded to overcome this
problem of violence, would you like now to help other visually impaired
women, 21 say yes, 11 say no. To the last question: if you are facing
similar situations would you be yourself a member of our support team,
21 agree with this idea and 25 accept to participate in a meeting in
Paris to set up our support team, 23 agree to answer the phone to help
other women.
6. Conclusion.
So, in conclusion, in spite of so few responses to the proposition for
peer groups (maybe itsn’t the wanted solution), I think more than ever
that we must continue to act but we have now to determine how...
Now, to end this summary (there remain still many things to say about
this survey), let us have a look at the socio-cultural level of the
concerned women.
Amongst the 56 affected women (remember that we received 81 answers): 15
have primary education level (just a little more than 25 %), 25
secondary (almost 50%), 13 universities (almost a quarter); 2 didn’t
answer.
We can see that the level of participating women is relatively high.
28 had a professional training (just 50%) and 17 have employment: 2
secretaries, one administrator, one engineer, one kinezitherapist, one
teacher, 2 telephone operators, one independent worker, 2 office
workers, one factory worker, one lyric artist, one customer counselor,
one lawyer (2 didn’t specified).
About their age: between 20 and 30: one; between 30 and 40: 9; between
40 and 50: 13; between 50 and 60: 15; between 60 and 70: 3; between 70
and 75: 6!…
We can conclude that violence reach all the levels of society, all the
trenches of age (even the elderly women are confronted by this
phenomena). It would be very interesting to make a sociological
analysis: relate the level of life and age with the form of violence
faced but I am afraid that such a study would take more than half an
hour, which we have to our disposal…
So, we see that, visually impaired women have a double handicap: firstly
they are females and secondly they are disabled and, in spite of a
rather high level of education, in spite of holding down a job, in spite
of their age, they stay victim of violence, violence is always here!.
That is why our self defense courses are a real success.
Women want to protect themselves; they are determined to struggle
against this problem. The first course took place in Nîmes on September
the 22nd, another will be held on December the 6th in Paris and also a
third one in December but we don’t know yet the date and the town.
Be that as May, all women participating unanimously said that they would
like to continue next year!
d