France presents new measures to combat violence against women

France announced on Monday a new campaign to combat violence against women, including raising awareness of the use of drugs in sexual abuse, as the country braces for a mass rape trial that has shocked the public.

Equality Minister Salima Saa unveiled a series of initiatives, two days after tens of thousands of people staged new demonstrations against violence against women in French cities, with demonstrators denouncing the government’s actions as “window dressing.”

The Dominique Pelicot case caused outrage in France. The 71-year-old is on trial for raping dozens of strangers over nearly a decade in the village of Mazan and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife. He sits in the dock with 50 other men, many of whom have denied the allegations.

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

But advocates are calling for more far-reaching measures, including a dedicated budget of 2.6 billion euros ($2.7 billion) and a stronger legal framework to address 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 in any hospital with an emergency room and a gynecology service,” she said.

– Focus on drugs –

Saa also announced an awareness campaign about the use of drugs in sexual abuse, which she described as “a new scourge.”

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

Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on Monday that France would reimburse the purchase of drug detection kits in several regions of France on a trial basis, but he did not give a timetable for implementation.

The budget for emergency aid to help victims of domestic violence leave their home will be increased from 13 million euros to 20 million euros in 2025. Since its launch at the end of 2023, 33,000 people have already benefited from it.

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

But that figure falls far short of the demands of women’s rights groups, which are calling for €2.6 billion and a “comprehensive legal framework” to replace existing legislation, which supporters say is “fragmented and incomplete.”

During his first term as president, Emmanuel Macron promised to work to eliminate violence against women, a message Saa reiterated, calling it a “big deal” of his presidency.

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

According to the feminist group NousToutes (All of Us Women), 122 women have been killed since the beginning of the year.

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