To combat recurrent sexual violence, the city of Nice, with the support of Christian Estrosi, has established a support and guidance unit for victims.
In this new year, the primary goal of the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, is the well-being of his residents. Tackling insecurity, traffic flow, environment, or smooth operation of nursing homes, the President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis works daily for his city.
The taboo must be permanently lifted and speech freed, people should not remain silent or hide it. Continuing his ambitions, he wishes to focus on a societal scourge, sexual violence: “In 2005, I presented a bill to criminalize incest as a specific offense. I already felt there was urgency.” This awareness has led the city mayor to create a support and guidance unit dedicated to sexual violence.
Assaults, acts of incest… the city mayor emphasizes the right to speak: “More than ever, it is our duty to support these victims and to allow each of them wishing to speak out to express themselves.” This new initiative can only be beneficial and enable victims to receive help during this somewhat special period with the implementation of a 6 PM curfew. It is a fact that there has been an increase in sexual violence in recent months, notably due to various Covid-19 related restrictions (lockdown, curfew…).
A significant workforce available
The goal of this unit is to reach out to victims of sexual assault. To achieve this, the support unit has set up a phone line (04.97.13.52.77) with time slots from 8:30 AM to 6 PM from Monday to Friday. This number is not only reserved for victims of acts or sexual violence but also for witnesses. On the other end of the line, competent individuals trained to analyze situations and provide the most appropriate guidance.
The initiative doesn’t stop there; an email address has been created for the occasion: (parolelibre@ville-nice.fr). Several initiatives to encourage speaking out have been implemented. Among them, the establishment of a support group, the organization of round table discussions with professionals (police, psychologists), and even art therapy workshops focusing on body reclamation. In sexual violence, incest is certainly included. Since Saturday, following the Olivier Duhamel affair, the hashtag “Metooinceste” has been gaining momentum on social media.
