Protesters drew attention to serious flaws in France’s response to domestic violence as new statistics emerged.
Dozens of people filled central Paris on Tuesday night and condemned the surge in gender-based attacks while honouring victims.
Seventy-eight-year-old activist Marie-Josée voiced deep concern as the crowd remembered five women killed last week by partners or former partners in France.
The rally unfolded hours before the government received a major report urging sweeping reforms to the justice system’s handling of domestic abuse.
Officials received the report on Tuesday, and it proposed testing a new magistrate role focused solely on cases involving violence within families.
French media outlet Le Parisien revealed details earlier this week ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The document stressed that domestic abuse demands a broad and coordinated response.
Despite years of political pledges, protesters insisted conditions for women in France continue to deteriorate.
Marie-Josée said equality has regressed since the 1990s and described widespread indifference toward women, especially older ones.
Her words reflected a worsening crisis, as killings of women by partners or ex-partners reached 107 in 2024, an 11% rise from the previous year.
Data Exposes a Deepening Crisis
Government data from MIPROF showed that each day in France, more than three women face femicide or attempted femicide, and the number keeps rising.
Advocacy groups warned that these figures still fail to show the full extent of the crisis.
The government’s observatory reported that every seven hours, a woman is killed, nearly killed, driven to suicide, or pushed to attempt suicide by a partner or ex-partner.
Women aged 70 and older made up 26% of victims, marking a nine percent annual increase.
The widely publicised case of 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot shocked France and the world when authorities revealed that her husband drugged her and enabled repeated assaults by dozens of men over a decade.
The case exposed a long-hidden truth: older women also endure sexual violence, a reality often ignored due to sexist and ageist beliefs.
Violette, a Solidaires Union member at the protest, said society often dismisses older victims because people consider them less visible than younger women.
She said the Pelicot case briefly awakened public attention before it faded again, insisting that action must not rely on media shocks.
Funding Shortfalls Undermine Protection
Violette argued that France’s strategy remains inconsistent and severely underfunded.
She said organisations estimate that €3 billion per year is necessary for real progress.
However, the government’s 2025 gender-equality budget stands at just €94 million, far below what advocates deem essential for national protection policies.
The Council of Europe previously criticised France’s low prosecution rate for perpetrators and urged stronger enforcement.
As Parliament studies new proposals and organisations push harder for long-term investment, protesters on Tuesday night said they fear leaders still fail to grasp the crisis’s true scale.
