A firm response to the growing number of violence against women. The "persistence of violence against womenis not inevitable", "we must put an end to it and we will do it", promises the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. "Every day, women are subjected to oppression, abuse, control. Every day, blows are inflicted and lives are destroyed. And this persistence of violence against women is not inevitable," Macron said in a video posted on social media.
Several actions have already been put in place, such as the extension of the opening hours of 39 19, the launch of a digital support platform, the facilitation of filing complaints, the increase in the number of dedicated investigators, the deployment of "serious danger telephones" and "immediate danger bracelets", the creation of emergency accommodation places, etc. Emmanuel Macron welcomes these efforts, which have "borne fruit".
"We won't give up"
But the numbers remain worrying. "244,000 victims of domestic violence have been registered this year by the security forces. That's twice as many as in 2017. And these figures of course reflect the freer expression of women's speech. This is a good thing, but the fact remains that 118 women died at the hands of their spouses in 2022," the head of state said.
The next few weeks "will mark the fulfilment of important commitments", he stresses: the deployment of the file for the prevention of domestic violence in January, which will allow actors in the field, law enforcement and judicial actors "to improve knowledge and monitoring of perpetrators of domestic violence and the taking into account of weak signals", the creation of specialized units in all judicial courts as of January 1 and the start of emergency financial assistance for victims as of December 1.
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We must continue to move forward, to be more demanding, to be more protective, to prevent better. We will not give up," the president concluded. The decree implementing the law establishing emergency financial aid for victims of domestic violence, voted in February in Parliament, was published in the Official Journal on Saturday.
An international commitment
France also wants to fight against this violence internationally, as indicated in a press release from the Quai d'Orsay this Saturday, November 25. "France reiterates its condemnation of such violence in all places and in all circumstances. While current events are a powerful reminder of the reality of this intolerable violence, whether in Sudan, Ukraine, Israel, the DRC and in so many other countries, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, has never ceased to remind us that rape and other forms of sexual violence constitute a war crime," writes the ministry.
France "will continue its mobilization" in favor of the "universal ratification" of the "Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention," continues the Quai d'Orsay. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalls that "France supports to the tune of 250 million euros for the period 2023-2027 the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations (FSOF), which it created in 2020".
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Finally, the Quai d'Orsay recalls that Paris supports access to justice and reparations for victims. France "has provided financial support of €2019.8 million since 2 to the Global Fund for Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, created by Dr. Mukwege and Ms. Nadia Murad, recipients of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, and will contribute an additional €6 million over the next three years." "The Fund is piloting a project funded by France to meet the needs of victims of sexual violence committed in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched by the minister and Nadia Murad in November 2022," the statement said.