France has promised to do much more to fight its domestic abuse problem after thousands rallied to end violence against women. The country has some of the worst rates of domestic violence in Europe.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Camus
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France has revealed dozens of new initiatives aimed at tackling the country's problem with domestic violence, after massive rallies against domestic abuse took place in France and abroad.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe introduced the new measures to fight domestic violence, which include plans to seize firearms from abusive spouses, outfit abusers with electronic tracking bracelets, provide 1,000 new shelters for abused women and better train police to handle domestic violence complaints.
"The first success of this effort is to break this chain of silence," said Philippe on Monday.
France: Tackling femicide
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'France's shame'
At least 117 women have died this year in France at the hands of a current or former partner, a count by local media shows. For 2018, that figure stood at 121. Since January, around 213,000 women have been victims of physical or sexual domestic violence.
Domestic violence rates in France are among the highest in Europe, with President Emmanuel Macron calling the reality of domestic abuse "France's shame."
The new measures include €360 million ($396 million) in government funding for projects to be launched in 2020. Philippe said the measures were aimed at correcting "dysfunctions" in the system, and said he hoped the investment would serve as "an electroshock in our society."
Monday's announcement marked the culmination of two months of talks on the issue. Activists have increased pressure on the French government this year, tired of seeing the existing structures fail to keep women safe. Over the weekend in Paris and other French cities, tens of thousands rallied for greater action.
In pictures: Demanding an end to violence against women
November 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Citizens around the world took to the streets to call on lawmakers to do more to curb all forms of violence targeting women.
Image: Reuters
Human rights violation
"Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread, and devastating human rights violations in the world, but much of it is often unreported due to impunity, shame and gender inequality," said the UN in a statement marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In Guatemala, 571 women have been killed so far in 2019.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Estrada
1 in 3 women experience violence
A third of all women and girls experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime, according to the UN. Half of the women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or members of the family.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/M. Yalcin
Femicide growing in France
Data collected by women's advocacy group "Feminicides par compagnons ou ex"("Femicide by partner or ex") found that 74 women in France were killed by their husband or partner in 2019 so far. The year's final toll is expected to surpass last year's figures.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/M. Yalcin
'France's shame'
The rate of women killed at the hands of their partner in France is among the highest in Europe, which French President Emmanuel Macron has called "France's shame." On November 25, the government unveiled new measures aimed at reducing the number of victims, including a pledge to seize firearms from abusive spouses, the creation of 1,000 new women's shelters and better police training.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/A. Pitton
'Alarming figures'
In Germany, figures showed that at least one woman is physically injured every hour on average at the hands of their partner. German Family Minister Franziska Giffey announced on November 25 that the government will spend €30 million ($33 million) a year over the next four years toward increasing the capacity of women's shelters. As of 2019, there were 350 shelters nationwide.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
Footballers don red streaks
Italian footballers in the country's top league, Serie A, took to the pitch with red streaks on their faces as part of a call to end violence against women. UC Sampdoria and Udinese Calcio took part in the campaign in Genoa, which coincided with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Image: Getty Images/P. Rattini
'Our bones are all the same'
In Italy, 142 women were killed through domestic violence, up 0.7% from the previous year, according to figures released Monday. Trauma surgeon Maria Grazia Vantadori in Milan came up with the idea to show the X-rays of domestic violence abuse victims at the hospital. "Our bones are all the same. So any of these could be any woman," she said
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Bruno
Rape without consent
Only a handful of countries in Europe, including Germany and Belgium, define rape as sex without consent. Other countries often require proof of intimidation or violence. In Brussels, Belgium, red shoes were lined up on the ground to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Image: Reuters/F. Lenoir
Legal loopholes
Spain, Italy, Greece and France — among many other countries — do not legally define rape as sex without consent. Earlier this month, Spaniards took to the streets to protest a Barcelona court decision that sentenced five of six men accused of gang-raping a 14-year-old girl to 10 to 12 years in prison for sexually abusing the minor — but acquitted them of the more serious charge of rape.
Image: Reuters/S. Perez
'Walk of Silence'
In Malaga, Spain, protesters took part in a 'Caminata del Silencio' (Walk of silence) on November 25 to denounce femicide and sexual violence against women. Each placard contains the names of all women who were killed by their partners in Spain so far this year.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/J. Merida
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International call to end femicide
France's plans came as tens of thousands of people around the globe demonstrated to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Growing frustration at high rates of femicide — or the killing of a woman or girl, typically by a man — inspired the demonstrations. According to the United Nations, around 87,000 women and girls were murdered globally in 2017, the last year such figures were available.
In Spain, a weekend of protests carried over into Monday, with thousands taking part in a march in Madrid. Protesters marched in remembrance of more than 1,000 women killed by their partners or former partners since official record keeping began in 2003.
Protests also took place in Russia, Sudan and South Africa, among other countries. In Istanbul, riot police fired tear gas and plastic bullets to discourage a group of around 2,000 protesters.
In Mexico, masked female demonstrators protested violence against womenImage: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/R. Blackwell
Demonstrations in Mexico also turned violent, with masked female protesters in Mexico City smashing windows with sledgehammers and setting fires. The capital recently declared a "gender violence alert" in response to the high rate of women murdered in the city.
Femicide has become an intense issue in Mexico, where more than nine women are murdered every day. The wave of resulting protests has been dubbed the Glitter Revolution, after a stunt where protesters dumped pink glitter on a security minister.
The UN has warned that more global action is needed against domestic abuse, and the global police cooperation agency Interpol made the rare move on Monday of calling for support in finding eight international criminals wanted for crimes of violence against women.
