“90% of women in exile are victims of sexual violence.” remember the associations Groupe SOS and Stand Speak Rise Up!, one of the organizers of this forum (incl Release is a partner) devoted to this terrible subject.
The observation was clear, frightening, but for years it was hidden. “This violence is often hidden in blind spots, underlined Gaëlle Tellier, executive vice president of Groupe SOS, responsible for solidarity and gender equality. This is why we wanted last year, on the occasion of the International Day to Combat Violence Against Women, to create an event for exchange and testimony to better understand the violence experienced by women on the road to exile.”
The day is organized by Groupe SOS and Stand Speak Rise Up! relevant again at the end of November 2025. “Through this meeting, we want to give voice to all organizations that act to support women in their reconstruction,” explains Chékéba Hachemi, co-founder of Stand Speak Rise Up!.
The 2025 edition is organized around two main themes: “Explosions of violence and reduction of resources” And “Rediscover the connection between yourself and your body: exercise, artistic mediation and self-care as a means of reconstruction.” The current context is in fact unfavorable for women or girls victims of war who are forced into exile… According to a recent report by the UN Secretary General, cases of conflict-related sexual violence in the world have increased by more than 25% in one year, affecting 92% of women and girls, in more than 21 countries. Therefore the inevitable question arises regarding the consequences of budget cuts for these women. Several speakers will address this unacceptable paradox, such as Julia Gouyou Beauchamps, spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Celine Bardet, international lawyer and founder of We are not a weapon of war, Julie Gonnet -AFD-, Kevin Goldberg – Solidarités international – or Pauline Avenel Lam from the L’Oréal Foundation.
The second theme of this forum will focus on the path to resilience. Because even in this context, the power of women and their capacity for resilience is very real… provided they are supported. Several roundtables and workshops will help us understand how physical, psychological, social and legal support, as well as helping to regain self-esteem, are key drivers for these women.
Associations like Fight for dignitycreated by world champion Laurence Fischer and whose karate workshops played an important role, for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also participating in this exchange: Primo Levi Center, Joséphine association, France Terre d’Asile or La Maison des femmes in Saint-Denis.
“Commitment to professional projects” will be the topic of the final discussion this afternoon with several speakers such as Jimmy Corneille, director of Luxembourg Lions, Catherine Lesterpt, President of CIDFF in Paris or Stéphanie Poulobinski, for Platform Agir Groupe SOS Solidarités. The afternoon of the forum will end with a screening of the film “Tigray: Rapes, silent weapon“, a film by Marianne Getti and Agnès Nabat (to view at Arte). This event will continue with an exchange of the role of cinema in driving the storyline with the presence of Pascale Bourgaud and Mohammed Shaikhow.
