Mothers and peace in the spotlight

In the prestigious rooms of Versailles Town Hall, the Mayor, François de Mazières welcomed everyone. Sylvie Piganeau, Family Delegate and Regional Councilor, accompanied by Charlotte Baelde, Regional Delegate for #égalitéhommefemme, joined the large audience of elected representatives from all walks of life, neighbourhood associations, parents and public and community actors.

Newly appointed Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, in his introductory remarks, highlighted current conflicts, emphasising the importance of the role of mothers: “every gesture, every attention counts for the development of our children”, he said. This includes their strength when they have to fight, as Afghan mothers do.

Here are some other key messages:

• Supporting conjugality to prevent fractures is what Laure Cottin is proposing in her community of Viroflay. Her training proposal for a #sustainablecouple complements a range of measures to support families, particularly single-parent families
• Rethinking the organisation of the world of work in its entirety is the call of Antoine de Gabrielli, author of ‘S’émanciper à deux’ (‘Emancipate as a couple’): “we must take a holistic approach to work, taking into account the invaluable, yet unpaid and invisible, work of care and education, which benefits society as a whole, but which falls the now dual working couple when a child arrives. This is the challenge of #trueequality within what constitutes the first unit of #socialsolidarity”
• The message from Paule Nathan, President of the Avenir de femmes section of ANA Sécurité et Justice, is that we must continue to fight domestic violence, protecting children, supporting mothers in particular, who have nothing to be ashamed of, and enforcing the law
• Educating children for peace from an early age is essential, and that’s the essence of the commitment expressed by Kateryna Yelisova, a Franco-Ukrainian member of the Parents’ Network, directed and presented by Marie Poidatz
• Educating for peace means protecting against the dangers of digital technology. To be truly effective, Thomas Rohmer, founder of OPEN (Observatoire de la Parentalité et de l’Education Numérique), urges us to move away from a risk-avoidance approach and teach children real skills, starting with taking an interest in what they are doing… including on the screens that adults provide for them. He calls on fathers to invest as much as mothers. His book ‘Education au numérique, Restons connectés’ is a treasure trove of practical teaching information
• A culture of peace also means neither abandoning nor sending young people in difficulty back to their own fears – this was the message of Virginie Pavard, who invited the guests to the #allianceéducativedesadultes to accompany them all the way
• Stephania Verhaeghen, a compassion expert and member of the MMM Board of Governors, offered two simple exercises to introduce the audience to the power of empathy, a vital resource for peace building.

MMM President Anne-Claire de Liedekerke and Executive Director Afaf Abounouadar, while thanking MMM teams at the UN, EU and UNESCO, explained the systemic impact of advocacy and the importance of promoting the role of mothers on the ground at all levels.

Laurence de Batz, MMM’s Vice President and head of the French team who organised the dinner, summed up the overall sentiment of the evening: “Mothers have the power to instil a culture of peace in the early years. This event, supported by so many key actors, is a testament to that power”.