Protesters exposed failures in France’s domestic-violence response as alarming data emerged.
Dozens of protesters filled central Paris on Tuesday night and condemned the surge in gender-based violence while honouring its victims.
Activist Marie-Josée, aged 78, voiced constant shock as the crowd remembered five women killed last week by partners or former partners.
The demonstration occurred hours before the government received a major report urging radical reform of justice procedures for domestic-abuse cases.
Officials submitted the report on Tuesday to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and urged the state to trial a magistrate dedicated solely to intrafamilial violence.
Media outlet Le Parisien revealed the report earlier this week before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and stressed that domestic violence requires a broad strategy.
Many protesters insisted that women in France still face worsening conditions despite political promises spanning decades.
Marie-Josée described a clear regression in equality since the 1990s and admitted confusion over public indifference toward women, particularly older women.
Her concerns highlighted a deepening emergency as 107 women died in 2024 at the hands of partners or ex-partners, an 11% rise from the previous year.
Statistics Reveal a Deepening Crisis
Government data released last week by MIPROF showed that more than three women each day suffer femicide or attempted femicide in France, a number rising each year.
Activist groups warned that such figures still fail to reveal the crisis’s full magnitude.
The government’s annual observatory stated that every seven hours a woman is killed, nearly killed, driven to suicide, or attempts suicide because of a partner or former partner.
Women aged 70 and older accounted for 26% of victims, marking a nine-percent rise in one year.
The horrific case of 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot, drugged by her husband and raped by dozens of men over a decade, shocked France and the wider world.
This case exposed the hidden truth that older women also endure sexual violence, a fact long overlooked due to sexist and ageist beliefs.
Union member Violette, who joined the Paris protest, argued that older victims lose visibility because society does not value them as it values younger women.
She said the Pelicot case briefly awakened public opinion before fading again and insisted that action must not depend on media shock.
Calls for Investment and Government Accountability
Violette argued that France’s strategy remains inconsistent and chronically underfunded.
She claimed that organisations need at least €3 billion annually to make genuine progress.
The government’s 2025 equality budget allocates only €94 million, far below what activists consider necessary for an effective national plan.
The Council of Europe previously criticised France’s low prosecution rate for perpetrators and urged authorities to adopt and enforce stricter policies.
As Parliament reviews new proposals and organisations intensify demands for long-term funding, protesters on Tuesday night expressed fear that authorities still misunderstand the crisis’s true severity.
