The Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights has formalised a partnership with AS Monaco football club, which has been helping women who have suffered violence during confinement by offering a safe haven.

As part of its ASMONACOEUR programme, AS Monaco last month joined into a partnership with the women’s committee to offer accommodation for victims of domestic violence free of charge until 30^th June.

The football club has made some of its facilities available to house these women who would have otherwise been forced to live in intolerable situations. There are six bedrooms, a kitchen and a common area where the women can pass their time and find comfort in each other knowing they are in a safe environment. 

On Monday 8th June at the Ministry of State, Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights Céline Cottalorda thanked Oleg Petrov, vice-president of AS Monaco, for the gesture of solidarity and generosity.

Statistics have shown what the United Nations recently called a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns began earlier this year. The increase is occurring in every country around the globe and is putting a fine point on the plight of the women and girls who are, and have been, subjected to this kind of violence. 

In Monaco, the number of reported cases of violence against women remained small during lockdown, though the many cases do go unreported. Neighbouring France had a 35% to 40% leap in reported instances during lockdown, a massive increase in a country that already has a high rate of domestic violence.

More than 200,000 women reported abuse and 120 were outright killed in 2019 in France. In Monaco, 31 cases of domestic violence were reported last year. 

The generosity of AS Monaco has allowed women and girls to escape awful situations and give them a place to get back on their feet. The club also offered space to the Princess Grace Hospital at the height of the epidemic, though their own facilities proved sufficient to handle the patients.

 
Top photo: Vice-president of AS Monaco Oleg Petrov (left) and Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights Céline Cottalorda (right). Courtesy: Government of Monaco
 
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