Association Antoine Alléno — The Collective Challenge of Protecting our Children

The need to create this charity is the result of observations and reflections inspired by your own experience. Could you tell us more?
What we have experienced and seen, what thousands of families go through every year, is that the tragedy of losing a child is compounded by other forms of violence suffered by those who survive, known as "co-victims." This ranges from the total absence of psychological support to the administrative processing that leads to absurd and painful situations. There is a general lack of recognition, which leads to profound loneliness and physical and psychological distress. As a society, we must act to protect our children.

How does the Association Antoine Alléno compensate for these shortcomings?
The initial idea was to provide these families with a guide, to help them get through this period by providing psychological and financial support if necessary. In practical terms, we have set up a telephone hotline staffed by a qualified person to take the first call, ask the right questions and, if needed, refer them to our network of skilled professionals. In just two years, the charity has helped hundreds of families who have lost a child under the age of 25.

But that's not all; you have also worked to change things in terms of legislation.
When you get into a car while under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances, when you refuse to comply, it is not an accident. That is why we have worked to change the law so that in these cases we no longer use the term "manslaughter" but rather "road homicide" in France. Our proposal was passed unanimously by both chambers of the French parliament on its first reading.

ALIVE: A WORK OF ART In collaboration with the artist JR, the Association Antoine Alléno is taking part in the Alive project, collecting nearly 3,000 portraits that will cover the Alma Bridge in May 2025.