Overseas territories: a report calls for adapting gender equality policies to local realities

Public policies promoting gender equality must take greater account of the specific characteristics of France's overseas territories. This is the main conclusion of the report submitted to the government by Aude Luquet, the interministerial coordinator in charge of this mission. According to her, national policies can no longer be applied uniformly in the overseas territories, where social and economic inequalities and violence against women remain more prevalent than in mainland France.

The report highlights some worrying indicators. The French overseas territories account for 10% of domestic violence and 11% of femicides recorded in mainland France. The unemployment rate for women averages 20%, compared to 7,2% in metropolitan France, with a record high of 37% in Mayotte. Furthermore, one in two families in the overseas departments and regions is a single-parent family, a situation that, according to Aude Luquet, requires specific responses regarding employment, childcare, and social support.

Fifteen recommendations to better protect women

The report makes fifteen recommendations aimed at territorializing public policies. Among them is an evaluation of the effectiveness of existing mechanisms, such as the anti-proximity bracelet, "Grave Danger" telephones, Women's Houses or emergency numbers, in order to verify their adaptation to the constraints of insularity or double insularity.

The interministerial coordinator also sets three priorities for the coming years: improving support for women victims of violence, strengthening support for women with disabilities, and facilitating the mobility of victims when their safety requires travel to mainland France. Finally, the report provides for the implementation of territorial indicators by 2027 to measure the effectiveness of public policies and adapt support systems to the specific needs of each overseas territory.