The director general of Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), the Paris police prefect and four Ile-de-France prosecutors signed an agreement on Wednesday, October 4 so that victims of domestic violence can now file complaints in all services emergency services of the AP-HP of 75, 92, 93 and 94.
Nicolas Revel and Laurent Nuñez were gathered in Paris for the signing of the document with the capital prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache, the Bobigny prosecutor Eric Mathais and the Créteil prosecutor Stéphane Hardouin.
Experimented since October 2020 in three AP-HP establishments (Saint-Antoine in Paris 12eTenon in Paris 20e and Henri-Mondor in Créteil), the national-scale system, launched following the Grenelle of domestic violence in 2019, is thus generalized from Thursday to all reception and emergency services of the AP-HP of the four departments.
“The step we are taking may seem modest, but in reality it is very important to advance the fight. It is justice alone that can put away the aggressor and protect the victim”assured the general director of the AP-HP, Nicolas Revel.
For the prefect Laurent Nuñez, with this agreement, it is a question of “play collectively” and of “reinforce the “go towards””. “The system will gain momentum. This does not translate into a reduction in the number of cases, but these are complaints that would never have been filed”he added.
Hearing at the hospital, in complete confidentiality
The agreement provides that an emergency doctor who treats a victim of domestic violence asks her if she wants to file a complaint. If so, the emergency physician contacts the police services via a special line.
The hearing will take place in the hospital, in complete confidentiality. If the victim does not wish to file a complaint, they will be referred to a support service and the emergency physician may possibly make a report to the public prosecutor. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, welcomed a “new step in favor of revealing the facts”.
According to the AP-HP, 46 victims (30 in Paris, 16 in Créteil) have filed complaints at its premises since the start of the experiment. “A certain proportion nevertheless continues to refuse to file a complaint”underlined the head of emergency at Tenon hospital, Hélène Goulet.
The Ile-de-France region recorded the highest number of violent deaths within couples in 2022, according to the annual report of the Ministry of the Interior, i.e. 19 victims. Across the national territory, last year 145 people died as a result of domestic violence, including 118 women. Of these, 16 had filed a complaint.