Amid horror over mass rape, France unveils measures to combat violence against women

Paris:

France on Monday announced a new campaign to combat violence against women, including raising awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, as the country reckons with a mass rape case that has shocked the public.

Equality Minister Salima Saa unveiled a series of initiatives two days after tens of thousands of people demonstrated against violence against women in major French cities, where demonstrators branded government actions as ‘window-dressing’.

A case in the southern city of Avignon against 51 men, including one who drugged his wife of ten years and dozens of others accused of accepting his invitations to abuse her at their home in Mazan in southern France, has sparked widespread anger fueled.

There will be “one before Mazan, and one after Mazan, just like there was one before and after #MeToo,” Saa said during an interview with broadcaster Franceinfo.

But advocates are calling for more far-reaching measures, including a special budget of 2.6 billion euros ($2.7 billion) and a stronger legal framework to tackle the problem.

The government will expand the network of hospitals where victims can report an incident from 236 to 377 by the end of 2025, Saa said, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

“A woman will be able to file a complaint at all hospitals with an emergency room and a gynecological service,” she said.

Focus on medications

She also announced an awareness campaign about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, which she called “a new plague”.

As part of the campaign, a helpline can “provide answers and advice and tell you which laboratory to go to, what to do with your hair, blood tests and urine tests,” Saa said.

The emergency aid budget to help victims of domestic violence leave their homes will increase from €13 million to €20 million in 2025, a measure that has benefited 33,000 people since its introduction at the end of 2023.

“We managed to achieve a 10 percent increase in the budget for gender equality, for a total amount of 85.1 million euros,” Saa said.

But that number falls far short of demands from women’s rights groups, which are calling for 2.6 billion euros and a “comprehensive legal framework” to replace current legislation that advocates say is “fragmented and incomplete.”

During his first term as president, Emmanuel Macron pledged to work to eradicate violence against women, a message Saa reiterated, calling it the “great cause” of his presidency.

In 2023, the police registered more than 110,000 victims of sexual violence – 85 percent of whom were women.

And since the beginning of this year, 122 women have been murdered, according to the feminist group NousToutes (We All Women).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)