If each victim under the blows of his companion or his ex is always one victim too many, the fight against feminicides knows a first victory.
According to a count made by AFP, the number of women killed by their spouse or ex is down in 2020 after a sharp increase the previous year.
Thus, at least 88 women were killed by their companion or ex-companion in 2020, a drop of about 40% compared to 2019. Paroxysm of violence suffered by more than 200,000 women per year, feminicides caused 146 deaths in 2019, 25 more than in 2018.
According to the elements gathered by AFP, their number should however not exceed a hundred in 2020, a first since 2006, year when the government began to identify them.
This provisional assessment could however include a few more cases, some cases remaining pending for lack of information, others not having been disclosed by the authorities.
A decrease confirmed by the Ministry of Justice
In accordance with its verification standards, AFP dismissed a dozen cases because the autopsy revealed a natural death, the investigation showed that the woman and her murderer had never had an intimate relationship, or the couple had announced in a joint letter his intention to die together.
For its part, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed a "substantial drop" in feminicides in 2020 compared to 2019, without revealing a figure.
But it is "too early" to see a lasting trend, warn associations.
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After a strong association mobilization, a "Grenelle" to fight against domestic violence had resulted at the end of 2019 in around forty measures, among which the deployment of anti-reunification bracelets for violent spouses or ex-spouses or "lessons learned" Between professionals concerned after each feminicide.
In 2020, "many devices have been put in place or have experienced an acceleration", pleaded the Ministry of Justice, referring to the bracelets (17 pronounced including 8 active on January 18) or the high danger telephone (1,200 distributed at the end of 2020 ).
During confinement, sharp increase in domestic violence
A few days ago, the Minister Delegate for Citizenship, Marlène Schiappa, revealed to the Parisian that "domestic violence has increased by 60%" during the second confinement.
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The associations expect more, asking for example that the measure which makes it possible to requisition the firearms of a violent spouse from the first complaint is really applied.
Gun murders represent nearly a third of feminicides.
The coronavirus epidemic and its periods of confinement have also highlighted the importance of the violence suffered by women and children in their homes, boosting reports of these facts.
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“During the confinement, there was a strong political discourse against domestic violence, the security forces systematically moved and cases were given priority in the courts”, observed Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Foundation of women, believing that these interim measures have "saved lives".
It is "too early to record a downward trend because it may go up next year", reacted the co-founder of #Noustoutes Caroline De Haas, estimating that with "still nearly 100 dead, we can not be satisfied ".
