According to this, only 3% of women say that they have been asked about possible domestic violence by their family doctor in the last 18 months a study published on Friday November 24th by the High Authority for Health (HAS), which recommends a survey “systematic” Patients to better identify victims.

Since 2019, the HAS has recommended that professionals in the primary care sector (general practitioners, gynecologists, pediatricians, emergency doctors, midwives, etc.) ask all their patients whether they have experienced or experienced violence, even if there are no signs of violence. Alarm. The problem is this “Make it easier for victims to speak out by normalizing the topic.”reminds the authority in a press release.

According to this barometer, carried out jointly with the BVA Institute in October 2022 and then in October 2023, out of 1,000 women, 891 of whom had consulted a family doctor in the last eighteen months, visited the doctor’s office “stagnate” and this recommendation remains “Too little implementation”while the women are there “attractively priced”HAS continues.

In both 2022 and 2023, only 14% of women who consulted a GP during this period recalled being asked about their relationship with their partner. And a very small minority, 3% of respondents, say this is the case “were asked directly about possible domestic violence” suffered.

Most women “support” these issues

Within this sample, one in five women reported having experienced or had experienced violence from their partner (physical, verbal, psychological or sexual), while 2% reported that they were currently experiencing it and 18% had been victims of it in the past had become violent. “It is estimated that in France, on average, three to four out of ten women among a family doctor’s patients could be victims of domestic violence.”indicates the HAS.

“Contrary to the fears of some professionals, 96% of the women surveyed believe that systematic questioning is a good thing.” (48% a very good thing, 48% somewhat of a good thing), notes the HAS. Some of them said that these types of questions might make them feel embarrassed (23%), judged (15%) or shocked (13%), but most “still declare that they are for it”.

Domestic violence resources are still inadequately available in practices: only 28% of the panel “Remembers seeing it”, a slightly larger proportion (38%) among those who have already been victims. The survey was conducted online between September 29 and October 6, 2023 on a representative sample of 1,000 French women over 18 years old.