Behind the La Louvière shelter for battered women, a courtyard is set up with an outdoor children’s play area. Between two medical examinations, R. rests while keeping an eye on her son and a little girl around the same age.
Originally from Morocco, R. was sent to family in Brussels against her will, at the age of 18. She would meet her future husband a few months later. Shortly after they were married, the abuse began. R. was beaten regularly. One night, when she was four months pregnant with her second child, her husband attacked her by jumping up and down on her leg. After that episode, she left him. During her stay at the shelter, the welfare educators supported R. through all her medical formalities. Despite their dedication, her understanding of the center’s rules and her adaptation to life with the other residents was tricky. In the end, her stay was relatively short.
Since 1980, the number of foreign residents at the shelter has continued to grow, requiring adaptation and ongoing training for the center’s teams, in respect of new legal and interpersonal issues and the new cultures now encountered.
March 23, 2011 – La Louvière – Belgium.
© Pierre-Yves Ginet