PARIS: Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Paris on Saturday to raise awareness and demand tougher action on femicides and domestic violence in France. Yelling “Enough” and carrying signs reading “Stop femicides” or “The planet needs women alive”, the crowd took to the Place de la Republique square as part of the demonstration organized by various women’s rights NGOs to protest the rate of femicides, the killing of a woman by a man because of her gender.
The women of all ages and a few men also observed 74 seconds of silence in tribute to the 74 women allegedly killed in France so far this year. According to Interior Ministry figures, 130 women were allegedly killed in 2017 by their husband or partner, up from 123 in 2016. “It’s a massacre,” Julie Gayet, a French actress and partner of former French President Francois Hollande, said at the protest. “We need to raise awareness on what’s happening today, which means that despite society’s evolution, there’s a step backward, and even more women are dying today.”
Taking to Twitter, French Gender Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa said she supported the demonstration. “I share the anger of victims and their relatives and reiterate my support to this struggle and the government’s determination,” she tweeted. Several feminist campaigners published an op-ed piece in French newspaper Le Monde on Friday demanding the government take measures like suspend child custody from men suspected of killing their wife or partner during investigations as well as open more shelter spaces for victims of domestic violence. (Agencies)
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