Paris, city of light
Diane Grimonet
Both as a woman and a photographer I was affected by the sight of women living in the streets – I was drawn deeper and deeper into the subject as the months passed. Whether they be drug addicts, young women from Eastern Europe, second wives spurned by their husbands, women suffering from mental problems, victims of incest or of violence, women in their sixties who will never work again, or asylum seekers, these homeless women are alone in their lives and alone in the city. For them, every day is full of suffering and squalor.
Preview
Behind the exhaustion that is common to all these wandering women is the variety of ways in which they spend their days – working illegally and for a pittance in catering, going through endless administrative or social procedures, looking for work or a home, begging, or prostitution. Even just waiting for the day to end before going to the next night shelter can be exhausting and dispiriting.
In Paris in the year 2000, more than 5,000 women called the emergency number for homeless people. A third of those who use the services provided for the homeless in France are women. Both the number of women in the streets and the proportion of women amongst the homeless are going up in Paris and in other cities. They belong to all age categories (from 15 to 75), and most often are alone, although many have children.
I know that I cannot solve their problems. But I feel that it is important to show this reality which is right there in front of us every day. It could happen to any woman tomorrow…
