It is a bitter reality, but women's shelters are overcrowded in Luxembourg. A number of people remain trapped in abusive living conditions as a result.
In July 2018, MPs adopted the bill set to transpose the Istanbul Convention into Luxembourgish law. Regarding shelters in particular, Article 23 of the Convention states the following:
"Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide for the setting‐up of appropriate, easily accessible shelters in sufficient numbers to provide safe accommodation for individuals, as well as establishing a pro-active way of reaching out to victims, especially women and their children."
Unfortunately, the reality is very different. Currently about 65 women are waiting for a place in a shelter in Luxembourg - not including the children involved. Sandra Antinori, who runs the shelter 'Femmes en Détresse' with Caroline Stella, explains that you could be on a waiting list for up to a year before a place becomes available.
In Luxembourg, there is a global waiting list for all shelters in the country. Names continuously pile up this list. But the current housing crisis is putting a different spin on things and making the waiting time for victims even longer.
For the victims - and their children - it is extremely difficult to access housing on the private market or via social actors such as the Housing Fund. This naturally prolongs the stay in the shelters. Instead of spending four months in shelters, women and their children sometimes end up staying for one year, even though the shelter is designed to be a transitional solution. If no women leave the shelter, there are no new spaces for other victims. The waiting list and the time limits are therefore always longer.
What also adds to this strain are the many faces of domestic violence, which spans beyond physical violence. Evictions are mainly ordered as a result of physical assault within the household, given that victims of physical violence have a higher chance of finding themselves in life-threatening situations, but there are many other forms to domestic violence. These include but are not limited to mental, sexual and economic violence, which can be inflicted in conjunction with physical violence or separately.
The 'OrangeWeek', is an awareness week that runs until 10 December, focusing on victims of domestic violence. Imane (40) and Debora* (40) are victims who found the courage to tell their story to a team from RTL to draw public attention to domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can contact the police at the emergency number 113 or via the helpline 20 60 10 60. More information is available on the Femmes en détresse website or at www.violence.lu.
* First names have been changed by the editors
