Esther FOUCHIER (née ICHAI)
French militant for Women’s Rights.
Esther Ichai arrived shortly after her birth in France and in Marselles, another Mediterranean shore. After a maîtrise de littérature française (equivalent of an Honours degree), a licence de psychologie( Bachelor’s in Psychology) and a DESS d’économie (economics diploma) she became directrice territoriale de la ville (municipal territorial director). In 1993 she founded the Forum Femmes Méditerranée to provide a place for dialogue between shores and draw the attention of the states concerned to the violence inflicted on women but also to their capacity of resistance and creation. The Mediterranean women’s short story competition which she launched in 1992 was a means to discover new talents and each year she had a collection published. In 2006, she founded « le Verbe au féminin » (the Word in the feminine) with Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan feminist associations with the aim of analysing the place of women in literature, comparing the various cultural traditions and destinies in Mediterranean countries with the hope of conciliating inter-cultural dialogue and universality od rights. In 2002, she helped migrant women in France and Europe to set up a network to achieve respect, equality and dignity. In 2011 she organized the first Mediterranean Salon of women’s publications in various venues in Marseilles to draw attention to the rich diversity of their writings. Since 2011 she has been general delegate of the French network of the Anna Lindh Foundation which covers more than 2500 organisations in 43 countries who work to overcome misunderstanding and stereotyping and to promote common values. In 2013 she participated in the creation of the Fondation des Femmes de l’Euroméditerranée. In 2017, she received from the hands ofMadame NEZIHA LAABIDI, Tunisian minister for Women, the Fatima FIHRIA prize for her remarkable contribution to the struggle for the access of women to professional training and responsibilities.