About Safe Spaces
Duration: 3:30
Karima Silvent, Chief Human Resources Officer at AXA, and Violette Perrotte, Director of Maison des Femmes, discuss a longstanding partnership supporting women victim-survivors of domestic violence in France. They emphasize the role of employers in creating safe and supportive environments at work, as well as offering insights into AXA Safe Spaces.
What is Safe Spaces?
Safe Spaces is a training to help employers and individuals to create safe and supportive workplaces for employees impacted by domestic and sexual violence, designed by AXA with the support of experts and NGOs. Domestic and sexual violence can impact anyone, with women disproportionately with UN Women estimating that 1 in 3 women will experience violence in their lifetime globally. While this violence originates outside of the workplace, the workplace can be one of the few places where people experiencing violence and abuse can feel safe and supported. Safes Spaces includes authentic stories and expert testimonials to raise awareness and understanding of the wide range of experiences. It uses the 3R methodology – Recognize, Respond and Refer – promoted by the World Health Organisation and UN Women as practical and structured approach to considering domestic and sexual violence that can be adapted to different workplace environments so that people can: Recognise the signs of violence Respond with support and empathy Refer victim-survivors to specialist support Critically, Safe Spaces refers people to the NO MORE global directory of support services covering more than 200 countries. Originally developed in collaboration with the UN and World Bank Group, AXA has also partnered with NO MORE to maintain and expand this directory over the coming years.
Why has AXA created this training?
At AXA, we are driven by our purpose: to act for human progress by protecting what matters. And we take a stand against domestic and sexual violence. As a global insurer, we have been addressing this issue for some time now. Since 2015, we have dedicated ourselves to supporting victim-survivors in France through our products and practices. We have been providing legal protection and psychological support to help them navigate these difficult situations. More recently, we have taken our commitment a step further by extending our coverage to include emergency accommodation for those in need. More information can be found here: axalive.fr/article/garantie-violences-conjugales As a global employer, we have implemented a global domestic and sexual violence policy, and we are proud to be supporting those who have bravely come forward seeking help. More information can be found here: AXA launches ‘We Care’ program for all employees worldwide | AXA Safe Spaces started as a training program to help our employees recognize this issue— and to equip ourselves with the knowledge necessary to respond effectively when employees reach out for support. But we felt a strong conviction to extend this training beyond AXA. We wanted to provide free access to Safe Spaces to other employers and individuals, empowering them to create safe and supportive environments in their workplaces. We believe that by learning together, we can improve the outcomes for victim-survivors in workplaces, and we can end domestic and sexual violence.
Who has supported this training?
Omni Productions
Omni creates impactful training films and digital platforms that emotionally engage, inform, and empower audiences around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues - driving meaningful behavior change.
Omni Productions website
NO MORE Foundation
The NO MORE Foundation is dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence by increasing awareness, inspiring action, and fueling culture change.
NO MORE Foundation website
Dr Alison Gregory
Dr Alison Gregory is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, with 20 years of research on domestic and sexual violence & abuse.
Dr Alison Gregory on LinkedIn
Galop
Galop is the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, supporting LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse, hate crime, sexual violence, and so-called 'conversion therapy'.
Galop website
La Maison des Femmes
La Maison des Femmes is a network of health centers dedicated to treating women victims of violences.
La Maison des Femmes website
ManKind
The Mankind Initiative is the principal, expert and specialist charity in the UK focusing on male victims of domestic abuse.
ManKind website
Surviving Economic Abuse
Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it.
Surviving Economic Abuse website
The Survivors Trust
The Survivors Trust is a national membership organization supporting specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the voluntary sector.
Survivors Trust website