Empowering Single Mothers: The Vigilant Mothers Association
Vigilant Mothers is an association dedicated to defending the rights of single mothers, providing support, and advocating for systemic changes. They address the challenges faced by single-parent families, particularly focusing on the gendered aspects affecting mothers. Through lobbying efforts and support initiatives, the collective aims to combat discrimination, empower single mothers, and promote gender equality in family law.
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Vigilant Mothers: An association that defends the rights of single mothers and offers support and assistance.
Vigilant Mothers: History of the Collective - Why and How was the collective created? The Collective was created Because we each saw ourselves in each other's stories. We did not find any associations that could meet the specific needs we were facing. Creation of a Facebook page in 2016 with the publication of resources to help single mothers (lawyers, housing, websites, articles...) Creation of a private Facebook group in 2018 to allow mothers to speak freely First in-person meeting held on April 23, 2017 https://www.bornin.brussels/association s/des-meres-veilleuses/
Why a Gendered Approach to Single Parenthood? Observations: Some Figures In Belgium: One quarter of families are single-parent in Flanders and Wallonia, and one third in Brussels. 80% of single-parent families are headed by women who have sole or primary custody. 40% of these single mothers with sole or primary custody do not receive child support payments ("When single-parent families receive a child support pension, the poverty rate is 22.8%. Without this pension, it rises to 42.6%." Study conducted by K.U. Leuven in 2009 . https://www.coe.int/fr/web/istanbul-convention/-/3rd-general-report-on-grevio-s-activities https://theses.fr/2021BRES0102 https://www.editions-msh.fr/livre/les-papas-en-danger/
Some Figures In Europe (2020) : The European Union (EU) had 195.4 million households. One third of these households (29%) had children living with them. 14% of households with children (7.8 million households) were single-parent households (4% of the total households).
Field Observations Women are more discriminated against when they are single parents (economic, violence, etc.). Violent fathers have many tools (legal measures) to continue their violence even after separation. Why do they have so many tools and not the women? Courts are not free from gender stereotypes. The judicial system responds like the rest of society to gender stereotypes. As a result, judges and all levels within the judicial have expectations about the roles a woman, and therefore a mother, should ful have expectations about the roles a woman, and therefore a mother, should fulfill.fill. A mother is expected to be loving, take care of her children, and be conciliatory. She is responsible for the socialization of her children, notably in their relations with the father, regardless of any history of violence that this mother and her children may have experienced with the father.
Our Long-Term Strategic Objectives Engage in lobbying political parties and crucial decision makers to reform family law in Belgium Participate in various action plans to combat gender-based violence primarily against women and in action plans to support single parenthood Defend the rights of single mothers Provide support to mothers (financial, psychological, legal, etc.)
Our Activities and Associative Actions Support group during hearings Participation in demonstrations (March 8th, November 25th) Participation in exchange days on the theme of single parenthood Speaking at conferences nationally and internationally
Our Activities and Associative Actions Highlight post-separation violence Advocacy development Writing open letters or letters addressed to political representatives
Our Activities and Associative Actions Debunking several myths about violence: "a violent man can be a good father" "The so-called 'parental alienation syndrome'" "Couple conflict" vs violence Highlighting post-separation violence: Child support as instruments of violence and control over mothers Mothers discriminated against in the justice system Why mothers and not fathers? (statistics, sources?) Add the socio-cultural activities you have organized to also Highlight that it is a network for mother/child meetings to break out of isolation, etc...
From a Citizen Initiative to a Political Will Brussels Regional Action Plan to Support Single-Parent Families The Vigilant Mothers collective participated in the working group that contributed to the development of the Brussels regional plan to support single parenthood by participating in working groups. Participation in the National Action Plan to Combat Gender-Related Violence Meeting with the Sarah Schlitz office ( Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity) (https://sarahschlitz.be/le-plan-daction-national-de-lutte- contre-les-violences-basees-sur-le-genre-2021-2025-a-ete-adopte-ce-vendredi-26- novembre-2021/) "Mobilization of the so-called 'parental alienation syndrome' in the psychosocial, legislative, legal spheres and its impact on the safety of women and children victims of violence" 2021, Marie Denis, clinical psychologist, Feminist Observatory of Violence Against Women and member of the Vigilant Mothers Collective
Tools and Publications Cr dit Photo: Michel Loriaux Book of Demands: "Solo Moms - Escaping Isolation and Making Do: Action Tracks of Single Mothers for the Legislature 2019- 2024" available at https://awsa.be/uploads/Mamanssolos.pdf Audio capsule as part of the exchange day organized by the League of Families, in partnership with the Women's House- NGO Fighting Social Exclusion in Molenbeek, Arab Women's Solidarity Association NGO, and the network "Mothers Like Us" available: https://soundcloud.com/ligue-des-familles/votre- definition-de-la-monoparentalite/s-mexGs
Outils et publications Capsules : Six Analyses to End Intrafamily Violence https://vimeo.com/desmeresveilleuses Guide to Psychological and Legal Self- Defense https://drive.google.com/file/d/10t5l6mz4 TANCVuJZ86xKdKEm5Upx0Of0/view?usp =sharing
Guide to Psychological and Legal Self-Defense https://drive.google.com/file/d/10t5l6mz4TANCVuJZ86xKdKEm5Upx0Of0/view?usp=sharing
Our Patron: Rokia Traor On October 30, 2019, Ms. Rokia Traor received a notice of an international arrest warrant for kidnapping, illegal confinement, and hostage-taking by the Belgian justice system. She was first arrested and imprisoned in France on November 25, 2019. She was arrested and incarcerated again from March 10, 2020. The Belgian justice system accuses Ms. Traor , a Malian national, of having custody of her daughter in Mali for the past four years. The father, who had never previously sought any custody, suddenly decided to take legal action, although the mother had never opposed any visits from him. (RTBF, March 14, 2020) We (The Collective) request the investigating judge handling Ms. Rokia Traor 's case to lift the international arrest warrant against her so that she can defend herself before the Belgian justice system. We demand her immediate release so she can appeal the decisionon the grounds of "procedural irregularity," due to the lack of jurisdictional competence of Brussels.
Nos partenaires An association that defends the rights of single mothers and offers support and assistance services. A grassroots feminism carried by women who are living or have lived the experience of single parenthood.
