Protesters gathered in cities across France, including in Bordeaux in the south to demonstrate against violence against women
Demonstrators gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris to protest violence against women
Thousands of protesters across France braved the cold on Saturday to express their anger over the persistence of violence against women and demand more public action and funds to combat the scourge.Â
In Paris, crowds of demonstrators -- 50,000 according to organisers, 17,000 according to the police -- waved signs, chanted, danced and sang as they moved through the capital in the protests organised by the Greve feministe (Feminist Strike) collective of some 60 organisations.Â
"A man kills a woman every 2.5 days in France," read one placard distributed by the feminist collective NousToutes (All of us Women).Â
"Nine out of 10 victims know their rapist," read another.
"It's 2025, is it still normal to count our dead women?" said Sylvaine Grevin, president of the national femicide victims' federation, whose sister was killed in 2017, ahead of the start of the Paris demonstration.Â
Hundreds of protesters also gathered in the cold in other cities, creating crowds awash in purple -- a colour linked to feminism.Â
"We have the right to be loved without being abused," said 20-year-old student Juliette in Lille in northern France.
The associations behind the protests are calling for the adoption of a comprehensive framework law against violence, along with a three-billion-euro budget ($3.5-billion) to implement it.
They are also calling for improved education and funding for groups that support victims of violence.Â
According to official figures published Thursday by MIPROF, a government organisation tasked with protecting women from violence and fighting human trafficking, the number of intimate partner femicides rose by 11 percent between 2023 and 2024, with 107 women killed by their partner or ex-partner.
A woman is a victim of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault every two minutes, and every 23 seconds of sexual harassment, indecent exposure, or the unsolicited sending of sexual content, according to MIPROF.
The Women's Foundation rights group estimates the minimum annual budget the government should allocate to protecting victims of domestic, gender-based and sexual violence in France is 2.6 billion euros -- equivalent to 0.5 percent of the state budget.
mep-kal-ldf-lby/sw/kjm/rsc
Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published.
Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today!
Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices.
Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News
Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections.
Receive weekly updates on local sports news.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.