Thousands of people took to the streets in major cities such as Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux and Paris, as part of the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’. These actions were carried out to underline that 25 November, the date set by the United Nations (UN), is an important day to raise awareness in the fight against violence against women.
Protesters gathered at this year’s events pointed out that violence against women and girls remains largely unreported due to impunity, silence, stigmatisation and shame. The designation of 25 November is seen as an attempt to create a global response to this situation. Participants took to the streets to protest against all forms of sexual, physical, psychological and economic violence against women.
More than 400 civil society organisations in the country reportedly mobilised to organise these demonstrations immediately after the shock of the Pelicot gang rape case. According to United Nations data, violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. Almost one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives.
By 2023, at least 51,100 women had died as a result of violence by their partners or family members. This frightening figure means that a woman dies every ten minutes.
French Government Criticised
Demonstrators called on the government to allocate more budget to stop violence against women and emphasised that French President Emmanuel Macron has failed to keep his pre-election promises. The protesters underlined the need for reform of the justice system and new laws to deal with crimes and violence against women.
During the events, striking slogans such as ‘Femicide is everywhere, but justice is nowhere’ were chanted. The demonstrators continued their efforts to raise public awareness by distributing leaflets reading ‘Patriarchal violence is everywhere’ and ‘We are marching to put a stop to it’.
