This article was published in March 2021.

On March 10, La Maison des femmes de Saint-Denis announced the creation of the Collectif Re#start. With the “Soigner et Partager” (“Care & Share”) signature, this collective brings together a diverse set of organizations supporting women victims of violence in France, as well as Belgium and Mexico, under the sponsorship of Elisabeth Moreno, Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, and François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering and Chairman of the Kering Foundation.

“Re#start means rebirth, because behind the care and listening we provide, our final goal is a fresh start for our patients. It was essential that the name of the collective express this benefit”

explains Dr. Ghada Hatem, founder of La Maison des femmes de Saint-Denis.

The Re#Start collective currently gathers 10 member structures, all based on the same model as la Maison des femmes. Four of them are already operational (in Saint-Denis, Brussels, Bordeaux, and Brive-la-Gaillarde), two should open in 2022 (Marseille, Rennes), and other projects are in development.

The Re#start collective has three main objectives:

• Pool the members’ skills and knowledge by sharing best practices
• Share data to conduct impact studies
• Develop concrete proposals and carry out advocacy actions intended for public authorities

As the first private funder of the Maison des femmes, in 2014, the Kering Foundation is pleased to see other companies and foundations joining this essential project. A first circle of patrons including AXA, Korian, L’Oréal, RAJA, Sanofi-Espoir, Sisley Paris, SUPERGA BEAUTY, and the Kering Foundation – has been set up in order to provide financial support to the new structures.

Violence against women represents an important public health issue and awareness is growing. According to data collected by INSEE and the Observatoire national de la délinquance et des réponses pénales in 2019, each year, around 220,000 women aged 18 to 75 are confronted with a situation of violence “within the household”, while more than 450,000 women are victims of violence “outside the household”. It is also estimated that nearly 60,000 adult women living in France have undergone Female Genital Mutilation.

Extract from the specifications of the systems dedicated to the care of women victims of violence (Written in French).