Bars and tobacco shops as “places of refuge” for women: a contested choice

La Française des Jeux has announced a partnership with the Umay app to list tobacco shops as "places of refuge" for victims of street harassment. Announced on the occasion of International Women's Day, this announcement was strongly criticized by feminist organizations, who believe that tobacco bars are not safe places for women.

With its network of 29,000 points of sale, mainly composed of tobacconists, Française des Jeux (FDJ) is seeking to promote its role as a local player. It has just formed a partnership with the mobile application Umay to reference these points of sale as possible shelters for people who are victims of street harassment. This operation is being deployed in particular in anticipation of the next Olympic Games, where millions of tourists are expected in France.

The announcement of this partnership took place on March 7, 2024 in a bar-tabac in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, in the presence of Aurore Bergé, Minister responsible for Equality between Women and Men.[1]The next day, on the occasion of International Women's Day, Aurore Bergé defended this initiative on France Info.

Feminist organizations challenge tobacconists' choice

Internet users and feminist organisations have criticised this partnership and questioned the relevance of proposing tobacco shops, and more particularly tobacco bars, as safe places for women.

Amy Bah, head of the feminist collective #NousToutesLille, which has developed actions to prevent sexist and sexual violence in bars and party venues, considers this partnership, for example, to be a "feminism washing" operation on the part of the FDJ and believes that it should be examined with great caution.[2].

In a press release, the association Women for Women France, which focuses on supporting foreign women who are victims of violence, said that "Bars and tobacco shops are in no way places of refuge. They are frequented mainly by men and encourage the consumption of alcohol and gambling."[3] The association sees the following brought together: “conditions that increase the risk of gender-based and sexual violence” and even judge "It is dangerous to promote bars and tobacco shops as "places of refuge" for victims of sexual harassment". She recommends instead to contact the network of pharmacists, which is also very extensive and offers a wide range of opening hours.

Individual reactions have also been emerging on social media. "I worked for a year in a bar-tabac, I assure you that it is not a 'safe place' for women", says an Internet user on X (ex-Twitter).

An image strategy for the FDJ and tobacco shops

Investing in the issue of human rights is one of the springs used to illustrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions. Tobacco multinationals have invested in this theme for several years, presenting themselves as allies of women and financing certain structures and actions in this area, while continuing to target women and girls through the marketing of their tobacco products[4]. It was however with a view to distancing them from tobacco products that the World Health Organization (WHO) had dedicated its World No Tobacco Day in 2021.

The FDJ is now taking up this communication niche by relying on the tobacconist network, which remains closely linked to the tobacco industry. For the FDJ, this involves presenting tobacconists as essential businesses, while the sale of scratch cards clearly does not meet an essential need. The operation led by the FDJ is thus helping to renormalize a declining trade that is heavily subsidized by the public authorities.

The support given to this initiative by the Minister for Equality between Women and Men also raises questions. The idea of entrusting the safety of women to tobacconists who sell addictive and toxic tobacco products to young girls minors has been highlighted in particular by health professionals. Other types of businesses (bakeries, in particular[5]) could indeed be called upon to serve as temporary shelters, without exposing the public to the sale of tobacco, alcohol and gambling.

To learn more about the tobacco industry's targeting of women, see our case.

Keywords: Française des Jeux, Umay, Aurore Bergé, tobacconists, bars-tabacs, women, street harassment, corporate social responsibility, shelters

©Generation Without Tobacco

MF

[1] FDJ announces the national deployment of Umay, a French solution to combat street harassment, in its network of points of sale, FDJ, published on March 7, 2024, consulted on March 11, 2024.

[2] Street harassment: feminist associations welcome "with great caution" the decision to make bars-tabacs "safe places", France Info, published March 8, 2024, consulted March 11, 2024.

[3] Feminist associations welcome "with great caution" the decision to make bars tabacs "safe places", News Day FR, published March 8, 2024, accessed March 11, 2024.

[4] ACT/ASH USA/CNCT, The situation of female smoking in France, report, 2022, 28 p.

[5] Lte. Hours F, Fight against violence against women: the gendarmerie signs a new agreement with the Paul bakeries, Gendinfo/Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories, published on November 25, 2023, consulted on March 12, 2024.