Marchers with banners protesting against sexual violence walk along Rue de la Liberté in Marigot on Saturday. (Robert Luckock photos)
MARIGOT--About 100 persons took part in the march against sexual and gender-based violence, organised by Nous Toutes SXM in Marigot on Saturday. The event succeeded in spreading awareness of violence in St. Martin and worldwide that is very often under-reported to authorities by victims. The march also coincided with World Children’s Day.
Organisers stressed the march was organised to address several different forms of violence: inter-family violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, gender-based violence, sexual harassment in the workplace and on the street, cyber bullying, paedophile crimes, children who suffer from collateral violence, and more.
They also say that there are no accurate figures that truly reflect the scale of sexual violence in St. Martin.
“Victims of such violence must be protected, accompanied and made safe,” organisers said. “We are the voice for all those who suffer from violence, including children, and those who can no longer speak.”
The march was escorted by Gendarmes and made 10-minute stops in Marigot at Association Trait d’Union, the Courthouse, the Red Cross, Le Manteau homeless shelter, the Department of Solidarity and Families, the Préfecture, the Gendarmerie and Hôtel de la Collectivité.
The first stop was on Rue de la Liberté where the directors of Association Trait d’Union, an association specialised in providing free support for victims, explained the scope of their services, which include providing psychological support, assisting with legal representation, social services support, and accompanying the victim in court if necessary.
It was also disclosed the association offers adapted yoga for traumatised victims as a way to relax and heal, and has an emergency safe haven apartment for short-term use.
The second stop was outside the Courthouse. Organiser Farah Viotty noted formal complaints submitted about sexual violence and sexism amount to 12 per cent of all complaints regarding violence.
“Very few of those complaints result in a conviction in court,” she said. “A recent example was a complaint by a Lycée student who accused her teacher of sexual advances but which did not get anywhere. There’s a lot of work to be done in society on this subject of treating complaints and on convictions. Above all, it is important to speak out about abuse and make complaints. In St. Martin especially a large majority of sexual violence incidents often occur within the family circle.”
The march, including all the stops, lasted about three hours.
