Protesters exposed major failures in France’s domestic-violence response after alarming new figures emerged.
Dozens of demonstrators filled central Paris on Tuesday night to denounce rising gender-based violence and honour its victims.
Activist Marie-Josée, 78, voiced deep concern as the crowd remembered five women killed last week by partners or ex-partners.
Protesters demanded urgent action before the government received a major report urging radical reform of domestic-abuse procedures.
Officials received the document on Tuesday, and authors urged France to test a magistrate devoted only to intrafamilial-violence cases.
Reporters revealed the document earlier this week, and it stressed that domestic violence demands a broad and coordinated strategy.
Many demonstrators insisted women in France now face increasingly dangerous conditions despite long-standing political promises.
Marie-Josée stated that equality has slid backward since the 1990s, and she questions the persistent indifference toward women.
Her frustration reflects a growing emergency, as 107 women died in 2024 at the hands of partners or former partners.
That number marked an 11% rise from the previous year.
Stark Data Revealing a Deepening Crisis
Fresh government data released last week showed that more than three women each day endure femicide or attempted femicide.
Advocacy groups warned that these figures still fail to show the true scale of the ongoing crisis.
The annual national observatory reported that every seven hours a woman dies, survives an attempted killing, or faces suicidal pressure from a partner or ex-partner.
Women aged 70 and older accounted for 26% of victims, showing a nine-percent rise in one year.
The horrific case of 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot shocked France and the world after her husband drugged her and enabled repeated assaults.
The case revealed a hidden truth: older women also suffer sexual violence, yet society often ignores them because of sexist and ageist views.
Violette, a Solidaires Union member at the protest, said people dismiss older victims because society does not view them as “marketable.”
She argued that the Pelicot case briefly raised awareness before public attention quickly faded again.
She insisted that the country must not depend on shocking media events before taking meaningful action.
Demands for Investment and Stronger Action
Violette claimed France’s current strategy remains inconsistent and severely underfunded.
She stated that organisations estimate the country needs €3 billion annually to make real progress.
Yet the government allocated only €94 million for gender-equality efforts in its 2025 budget.
The Council of Europe already warned that France’s low prosecution rate for abusers appears deeply troubling.
It urged the country to adopt firm measures and enforce existing laws more effectively.
As Parliament studies new proposals and activists intensify calls for sustained investment, protesters fear the government still fails to grasp the crisis’s magnitude.
