- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency number
- 112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: travelladies.app, tripadvisor.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Save the dedicated Martinique sexual-violence line (0805 218 218) rather than relying only on mainland French numbers — it connects you to local, Fort-de-France-based legal and psychological support (ADAVIM).
- Emergency contraception ('morning-after pill') is free and available without a prescription or ID at any pharmacy in Fort-de-France, regardless of your nationality or insurance status.
- If you are the victim of a sexual assault, going to the CHU de Martinique emergency department promptly (ideally within a few days) matters for both your health (HIV/STI prevention, emergency contraception) and for preserving forensic evidence, even if you haven't decided yet whether to file a police report.
- Most of these hotlines and hospital staff operate in French; if you don't speak French, consider asking a French-speaking contact to help you call, or requesting an interpreter at the hospital.
- A local victim-support figure (ADAVIM's president) has publicly stated that reported sexual-assault rates in Martinique run notably higher than in mainland France, which is part of why these dedicated local resources exist.
- Abortion is legal, free, and covered by national health insurance in France, including Martinique — this is not a grey-market or 'tolerated' situation, it's a fully regulated public-health service.
- The main OBGYN and abortion-care access point in Fort-de-France is the public CHU de Martinique hospital network (Pierre Zobda-Quitman and the Maison de la Femme, de la Mère et de l'Enfant), rather than a scene of many small independent private clinics — plan for a public-hospital-system experience rather than a boutique private clinic visit.
- If you are a short-term visitor not enrolled in the French social security system, call ahead to confirm what, if anything, you would be billed — the 'fully free' guarantee is tied to being covered by French Assurance Maladie.
- Two in-person or remote appointments are legally required to obtain an abortion in France, with no mandatory waiting period between the decision and the procedure since 2015/2022 reforms.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment
Verbal street harassment — men calling out, whistling, or commenting from the street — is the most commonly documented issue for women in Fort-de-France specifically. A woman living on the island who works there described encountering this kind of comment almost daily in Fort-de-France, saying it caused psychological discomfort even though she felt physically safe. Other travelers describe similar unwanted attention (whistling, remarks) across the city and advise ignoring it rather than engaging, since it is reported as persistent annoyance rather than a precursor to physical harm.
Walking Alone at Night — Where It's Considered Fine
Central, well-lit tourist areas of Fort-de-France are generally described as fine to walk in the evening, with one long-term resident noting that Fort-de-France and similar tourist zones are always well lit and that walking there at night is safe and enjoyable. By day, the waterfront around La Savane park, the Schoelcher Library, and the cruise port area are specifically flagged as safe to explore. The caveat in these same sources is to stick to the lit, populated core rather than side streets after dark.
Walking Alone at Night — Areas to Avoid
Sources specifically name Trénelle-Citron, a neighborhood within Fort-de-France, as an area to avoid due to higher crime rates. More broadly, outer residential districts of Fort-de-France away from the tourist core are described as having higher petty-crime rates than beach towns, and poorly lit suburban or industrial stretches are flagged as places tourists rarely need to visit, especially after dark. Pickpocketing and bag-snatching are also reported around the cruise terminal, La Savane park, and busy market streets, with advice to keep valuables out of sight once it's dark.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
For Martinique generally, taxi services are described as regulated, and there are no widespread reports of taxi-related crime, though fares can run high. The U.S. CDC's country-level guidance for Martinique recommends choosing official taxis or public transport over informal options, and specifically advises against motorbike taxis due to crash risk from inexperienced riders; it also suggests sitting in the back seat and arranging payment before departing. No city-specific ride-hailing app (e.g., Uber) was documented as operating in Fort-de-France in the sources checked, so a licensed taxi or a pre-booked/rental car at night is the option travel guides point to.
Practical Precautions
Guidance aimed at solo female travelers in Martinique, drawing on French and Canadian government advisories, emphasizes avoiding walking alone after dark, steering clear of isolated beaches and remote trails in the evening, and keeping valuables discreetly stored rather than visible. The same guidance recommends using registered taxis or a car rather than walking long distances at night, choosing centrally located accommodation, and sharing your itinerary or using location sharing when hiking or driving alone. Keeping car doors locked and never leaving valuables visible in a parked rental car is repeated advice, since vehicle break-ins are noted as a more frequent issue than violent crime.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Legal Status Summary
- Abortion on request is legal in France (and therefore in Martinique) and, since March 2024, the 'guaranteed freedom' to access abortion is enshrined in Article 34 of the French Constitution.
- Jurisdiction Note
- Fort-de-France is the capital of Martinique, a French overseas department (DOM). French national abortion law (IVG — Interruption Volontaire de Grossesse) applies in full, identically to mainland France; there is no separate Martinique-specific abortion statute.
Abortion Time Limits
- Beyond Limit Exceptions
- Termination after 14 weeks is possible only for medical reasons — e.g. serious risk to the mother's health or a severe, incurable condition of the fetus — decided by a multidisciplinary medical panel, not on request.
- Medical Medication Abortion
- Legal up to the end of the 7th week of pregnancy (9 weeks of amenorrhea); a 2024 decree also allows medication abortion via remote/telemedicine consultation within this window.
- Surgical Instrumental Abortion
- Legal on request up to the end of the 14th week of pregnancy, equivalent to 16 weeks of amenorrhea (counted from the first day of the last menstrual period).
Process And Access
- Cost
- Abortion (consultation, procedure, and follow-up) is fully covered free of charge under the French national health insurance system (Assurance Maladie / Sécurité Sociale) for anyone covered by that system. For a short-term visitor or nomad who is not enrolled in French social security, the practical out-of-pocket cost was not confirmed in current sourcing and would need to be checked directly with the treating facility before an appointment.
- Providers
- Can be performed by a doctor or, since recent reforms, a trained midwife; instrumental (surgical) abortion by midwives is now permitted in health facilities under the same safety conditions as for doctors.
- Waiting Period
- The former mandatory reflection/cool-off period has been abolished for both adults and minors.
- Where Available
- All public hospitals licensed in gynecology-obstetrics or surgery must provide abortion services; it can also be arranged via a sexual health centre (centre de santé sexuelle), a GP, midwife, or family-planning body (EVARS, formerly the family planning movement/CPEF network).
- Consultations Required
- Two appointments are required: an initial appointment with a doctor (GP or gynecologist) or midwife covering options/counselling, and a follow-up where the request is confirmed in writing and an attestation de consultation médicale is issued.
- National Helpline Chat
- A national IVG information line and live chat (via ivg.gouv.fr and the Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial site) exist to help locate a nearby provider and book appointments; this applies to Martinique as it does to mainland France.
Named OB-GYN Options Fort De France
CHU De Martinique – Hôpital Pierre Zobda-Quitman
- Type
- Public university hospital (CHU) — main referral hospital for Martinique
- Contact
- +596 5 96 55 20 00
- Location
- Quartier La Meynard, Fort-de-France
- Notes
- The largest public hospital site in Martinique, with gynecology-obstetrics services; as a public hospital licensed in gynecology-obstetrics, it is legally required to provide abortion care.
CHU De Martinique – Maison De La Femme, De La Mère Et De l'Enfant
- Type
- Public specialized women's/maternal/child health facility, part of the CHU de Martinique network
- Contact
- +596 5 96 55 69 61
- Location
- Fort-de-France
- Notes
- A dedicated maternal and women's health site within the CHU de Martinique system, functioning as the region's specialized centre for obstetrics, gynecology and women's/newborn care.
Emergency Numbers
Police Nationale (Emergency Police Line)
- Number
- 17
- Cost
- Free
- Availability
- 24/7
European Emergency Number (All Emergencies)
- Number
- 112
- Cost
- Free
- Availability
- 24/7
Free
- Number
- 114
- Service
- SMS/text emergency line for deaf, hard-of-hearing, or people unable to speak aloud
- Availability
- 24/7
Assault Support Services
Numéro Unique Violences Sexuelles Martinique (CDAD Martinique)
- Number
- 0805 218 218
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Martinique-wide, based in Fort-de-France
- Description
- A dedicated, free and anonymous listening and legal-orientation line for victims of sexual violence in Martinique, run by the Conseil Départemental d'Accès au Droit (CDAD), based at the Fort-de-France tribunal judiciaire. Callers are heard by trained staff and referred to a lawyer or to ADAVIM, the local victim-support association.
ADAVIM (Association d'Aide Aux Victimes Et De Médiation Pénale De La Martinique)
- Cost
- Free
- Description
- Local Martinique victim-support association that provides psychological and legal follow-up for victims of sexual and domestic violence, working alongside the courts and police in Fort-de-France.
3919 – Violences Femmes Info
- Number
- 3919
- Cost
- Free
- Availability
- 24/7
- Note
- This is a national French number that also serves Martinique; it is not itself a solution for an active emergency — call 17 for that.
- Description
- National French hotline for women victims of violence, including domestic and sexual violence; run by the Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes and can refer callers to local emergency shelter.
Mouvement Français Pour Le Planning Familial (MFPF / Planning Familial)
- Number
- 0800 08 11 11
- Cost
- Free
- Description
- National family-planning network with a center present in Martinique, offering listening, information, and orientation on sexual violence, contraception and reproductive rights.
Ongoing Contraception Access
- Access
- The pill, IUD and implant are all legally available through GPs, gynecologists, midwives, and Centres de Planification et d'Éducation Familiale (CPEF/family planning centers) in Fort-de-France; a prescription is required for the pill and for insertion of an IUD or implant.
- Where To Go
- CPEF family-planning centers and Planning Familial (MFPF) offer confidential, often free or low-cost contraception consultations, including for people without local insurance.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Cost Note
- Under the French Sécurité Sociale system, a large share of contraception costs (consultation plus device/prescription) is reimbursed, and is free of charge for insured patients under 26; a nomad without French health coverage should expect to pay the consultation and device cost out of pocket, but exact out-of-pocket euro pricing for Fort-de-France specifically was not confirmed via a verifiable price list.
Methods Covered
- contraceptive pill
- IUD (coil)
- implant
Emergency Contraception
- Price
- €0.00
- Access
- Since 1 January 2023, emergency hormonal contraception (the 'morning-after pill') is dispensed free of charge and without a medical prescription at pharmacies in Martinique, to any person, minor or adult.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- How To Get It
- Walk into any pharmacy in Fort-de-France and request it at the counter (some, like the Pharmacie du Rond-Point, also offer discreet ordering, delivery or click-and-collect); no ID, prescription, or insurance card is required.
- Note
- This is the standard national French policy also applied in Martinique, not a city-specific program.
Hospital And Forensic Care
- Cost
- Emergency and forensic care linked to a criminal complaint is provided at no direct charge under the French system; a nomad without French social security coverage should still go to the emergency room, as urgent care cannot be refused.
- Facility
- CHU de Martinique
- How To Access
- Go directly to a CHU de Martinique emergency department (urgences), or call 17/112 first; you do not need to have filed a police report before being medically treated, though evidence preservation is time-sensitive (within days of the assault).
- Description
- The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique is the main public hospital system covering Fort-de-France and the island, with emergency and gynecology services. As in mainland France, French hospitals with emergency departments generally provide urgent forensic/medico-legal care for recent sexual assault (a médecine légale / Unité Médico-Judiciaire pathway) which, per national French protocol, can include emergency contraception, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, STI-preventive antibiotics, and evidence collection.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Fort-de-France
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.