HE Hend Al Otaiba at the inauguration. Photo: Wam
A new women and children’s shelter has been established in France with the support of the UAE Embassy in Paris and the Île-de-France Region Departmental Council. Last week, the French charity Léa Solidarité Femmes launched the first shelter of its network, ‘Maison Solidarité Femmes 91’, which was inaugurated by HE Hend Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to France; Sylvie Carillon, Mayor of Montgeron; François Durovray, President of the Departmental Council of Essonne; and French officials and representatives of entities involved in the project.
The newly established Maison Solidarité Femmes 91 will welcome women and children who need urgent safety from domestic violence and help them via social, psychological, and legal support, in a high-security environment. “Violence against women is a destabilizing mechanism in our communities which impacts on the future of women and their children – the next generation that is so essential to making this world a better place,” Al Otaiba told Vogue Arabia. “Empowering women in various fields is one of the UAE’s priorities and the focus of its leadership, as the UAE plays a regional and international role in empowering women. In this regard, I am proud of the UAE Embassy in France’s support to Léa Solidarité Femmes to protect women and children living in vulnerable conditions.”
Speaking further on the new development, Al Otaiba shared, “As an Emirati woman, I grew up in a country that relies on women as much as on men to build our future. Whether it is through gender equality in government or in senior positions, myself and my fellow women ambassadors and ministers are testaments to this. That is why Léa Solidarité Femmes’s project is so close to my heart. The Maison 91’s all-encompassing support to victims will be the gateway to a future filled with hope.”
Photo: Wam
Since being founded over a decade ago, Léa Solidarité Femmes has assisted more than 2,900 women and children, including 721 women and 904 children in 2021. According to the organization, the victims will be welcomed to rest on the shelter’s premises, eat, wash, and speak to the professionals who will listen and reassure them, and taken in charge on the basis of an individualized project by social workers, as well as our psychologists and partner lawyers.
Victims will also benefit from transitional accommodation for a period of six months, which is renewable twice. In addition to this, the shelter provides a departmental intervention capacity, with a 24-hour safety studio and a space dedicated to each medical professional. Maison Solidarité Femmes 91 will welcome victims six days a week from 8am to 7pm, and by appointment outside these days and hours.
