Marie-Noëlle Jardon: the link between the gendarmerie and the social partners
Marie-Noëlle Jardon was appointed as a social worker within the gendarmerie (ISG) on Friday 2 October; a key role that acts as a link between victims of violence and the various organisations that can support them. The reinstatement of this post was made possible by a tripartite agreement between the Prefecture, the Gendarmerie and Trait d’Union – France Victimes.
One incident of domestic violence is reported every day in Saint Martin. In the first half of 2026, domestic violence accounted for 35 per cent of incidents on the island, 26 per cent of which were cases of domestic violence. If we include assaults resulting in injury, this accounts for half of all reported violent incidents on the island (and there are those that go unreported). Other striking figures include the fact that 24 per cent of rapes and sexual assaults are committed within families; four new cases of sexual abuse of minors were handled by the Marigot police unit in the last week of September alone. This phenomenon is not unique to Saint Martin; sexual violence is on the rise nationwide (+15 per cent), as are rapes and attempted rapes (+15 per cent) over the same period.
The real challenge, once a complaint has been lodged, is to be able to refer victims to the right people to support them and, above all, to guide them through what can be a very complicated process. This is the role of the social worker within the gendarmerie.
This post existed until November 2025 but was abolished due to a lack of funding. Saint Martin had thus become the only territory in France no longer to have a social worker within the gendarmerie. Thanks to the efforts of the Prefecture, which, through various government schemes, is providing €45,000 of the €50,000 required to cover the salary and social security contributions for the post within France Victimes, and to the gendarmerie, which is making the premises of the Maison de Protection des Familles (MPF), the post has been filled once again.
The three-year partnership agreement (2026–2029) was signed on 2 October by Cyrille Le Vély, Prefect of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugues Loyez, Commander of the Gendarmerie, and Olivier Canale-Fatou, Director of the Trait d’Union – France Victimes 978 association.
A vital role
The scheme, which also focuses on prevention, is indispensable in the territory. The abolition of the post at the end of last year had an immediate impact, particularly on attendance at the Maison des Femmes, due to a lack of referral services. Marie-Noëlle Jardon, who had held this post from 2023 to 2025, is therefore resuming her duties and will now be based at the MPF, a gendarmerie facility designed to make victims feel at ease.
Her role is therefore to provide social support for vulnerable individuals, suspects or victims of domestic violence by informing them and referring them to appropriate organisations in collaboration with the local authority’s social services. Weekly meetings are scheduled with the two gendarmes based at the MPF, and work is also carried out within the France Victimes team. The aim is to provide multidisciplinary support to all victims. She will also visit Saint-Barthélemy once or twice a month.
