[Understanding violence against women to improve the support provided]

It is necessary to define violence against women and to understand the context in which it occurs in order to identify it. It can take several forms. The different strategies used by the abuser to exert control over the victim favour a climate of fear and loss of self-confidence. Finding herself in a form of dependency, it is difficult for the victim to leave her abuser; often she does so primarily for her children's sake.

[Violence against women within a relationship]

Violence within a relationship affects women in the majority of cases. Today in France, 223 000 women are victims of serious physical, psychological or sexual domestic violence. These situations have an important impact on a child's development. All professionals working with children must be made aware of these forms of abuse which are not always easy to spot.

[Mechanisms of domestic violence and the impact on children and teenagers]

To be able to help women and their children escape the hell of domestic violence, some knowledge of the mechanisms of this abuse is necessary. Children are deeply affected by violence within the family and present various disorders depending on their age. Professionals must be aware of the warning signs in order to break the silence and put the right help in place as early as possible.

[Better protection for female victims of domestic abuse, the experience of Seine-Saint-Denis]

The French watchdog on violence against women was created in order to put in place actions to prevent violence and protect women and children victims. Several schemes have been tested in particular in Seine-Saint-Denis: the provision of a mobile telephone with an integrated panic alarm, restraining orders, supervised access visits and the Féminicide protocol. These measures provide support and formalised monitoring of each member of the family, in order to stop the violence and protect mothers and children.

["Health professionals all have a role to play in identifying violence."]

The national coordinator of the "Violence against women" programme of the Interministerial mission for the protection of female victims of violence and the fight against human trafficking (Miprof), Ernestine Ronai is also the co-president of the "gender-based violence" commission at the French High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCEfh). In this interview, she shares with us her expert insight with regard to the issue of violence against women and the help available to them.

The inhibitory effect of succinate on radiation-enhanced mitochondrial lipid peroxidation

The degree of mitochondrial ADP/Fe/NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation was increased up to the fourth day after 9.0 Gy whole body gamma-irradiation. The lipid peroxidation inhibiting effect of succinate added to isolated mitochondria was diminished as a consequence of irradiation. The succinate, administered in vivo prior to irradiation, decreased the amount of malondialdehyde production and protected the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme against inactivation. The mean survival of succinate-pretreated animals was much longer than that of controls. The role of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of radiation injury is discussed.