Tens of thousands march in France to demand action on gender violence

Paris, Nov 19 (EFE).- At least 80,000 people, according to media accounts, marched in the French capital on Saturday to denounce authorities’ failure to address the problem of gender violence in a country where an average of 225,000 women a year suffer at the hands of current or former partners.

Smaller crowds turned out in other cities across France for events organized by the NousToutes (All of Us) alliance ahead of the Nov. 25 observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

“We are not there yet, but the mobilization is growing,” lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau, one of the leading feminist voices in the French parliament, said during the protest in Paris.

Rousseau, a member of the Greens (EELV), said that the center-right government of President Emmanuel Macron has offered no fundamental reforms to protect women and “fight against patriarchy.”

NousToutes is urging passage of a framework law on gender violence that would allow for the creation of specialized law enforcement and prosecutorial units to handle gender violence cases and the provision of financial aid and temporary housing for victims.

Feminist organizations put the number of gender-based murders of women in France this year at 100, on top of 122 “femicides” in 2021.

While figures from the interior ministry point to a doubling of reported rapes and attempted rapes between 2017 and 2021, from 16,900 to 34,300.

EFE atc/dr