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Founder of the Maison des femmes in Saint-Denis in 2016, Dr. Ghada Hatem, gynecologist-obstetrician, accompanies victims of physical and psychological violence every day. On March 8, Doctissimo chose to give the floor to this fervent defender of the cause of women, to discuss these very special subjects.
Dr. Ghada Hatem : With all these exchanges, the French society reminded that the French woman has the right to abortion and that is rather nice. I think that basically, abortion is not much debated in France, we are far from the extremists that there may be in the United States for example. However, it remains a taboo act and a societal taboo. Women who are going to have an abortion don’t talk about it, it’s shameful. It will still take time, I think, for us to pass this course.
But beyond the women who have access to abortion, we must also talk about those who are not so lucky and who have great difficulty in accessing a doctor who will perform this act. I am thinking in particular of women in rural areas, for whom everything is more complicated. They are also women who are more victims of violence, who have fewer options for obtaining help.
Doctissimo: Precisely, these women who are victims of violence can turn to women’s shelters, of which you are at the origin. New openings are planned for 2024. How many are there now and should they disappear, to show that everything is better?
Dr. Ghada Hatem : Indeed, new Women’s Houses will open in Rennes and Caen, in 2024. For the government, which counts by endowments, there are 54 Women’s Houses. For us, there are 14 and a dozen are preparing to become Women’s Houses. We are obviously delighted because it is an accepted subject, we have proven ourselves and no one is questioning our existence anymore.
And for the question of our disappearance? Of course I want it, that would mean that violence against women has disappeared, but I think it will take a good hundred years, still for that to change, unfortunately.
Doctissimo: Let’s now talk about a subject that is not often talked about: the excision of women, especially migrant women. There would be 125,000 circumcised women in France in 2023. Is this a figure that you confirm?
Dr. Ghada Hatem : Yes indeed, it is the number of circumcised women in France. They are generally migrants or women born in France, but whose origins are in sub-Saharan African countries, such as Mali, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire or Djibouti. France has been effective on this subject, because it has punished circumcisers and parents who bring their daughters.
It is also possible, for a young girl who reports to us having heard her parents, for example, planning to take her to the country to have her circumcised to obtain a ban on leaving French territory.
Doctissimo: Finally, what are the improvements that can be made to the French health system for the care of women, in all these areas?
Dr. Ghada Hatem : Concerning abortion, I would say that more resources are needed for under-endowed regions and a homogenization of resources on the territory. The act should also be revalued for practitioners, in order to make more doctors want to practice it.
For violence against women, more training is needed, particularly for justice professionals and the police, but also greater support for the perpetrators of this violence, from a psychological point of view in particular.
Finally, concerning excision, we have surgical repair techniques, which work fairly well and the operation is covered by Social Security. I recently spoke with a colleague based in San Francisco, in the United States, who told me that the waiting period for patients was two years there and that some were ready to come to France for surgery. faster… When you hear that, you say to yourself that you are not in such a bad position on the question!