Saturday, November 23, 2024

Hundreds of organisations protest violence against women across France
France


More than 400 French organisations have called for demonstrations across France on Saturday to protest violence against women. The mass mobilisation comes amid the widespread shock caused by the Pelicot mass rape trial, in which some 50 men are accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot at the behest of her husband while she was unconscious.



Issued on: 23/11/2024 
By:  FRANCE 24

08:57
Demonstrators hold a banner reading "feminists in a fight against feminicides and patriarchal violences everywhere and all the time" as they take part in a protest to condemn violence against women, in Paris, on November 23, 2024. 
© Stephane de Sakutin, AFP


Demonstrations are planned in dozens of cities, including Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille and Lille, two days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Monday.

In Paris, the procession is due to leave at 2pm local time from Gare du Nord in the direction of Place de la Bastille.

The protest against all forms of violence – including sexual, physical, psychological and economic – takes place amid the Pelicot mass rape trial, in which some 50 men are accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was unconscious, having been drugged by her husband.

The Pelicot trial "shows that rape culture is rooted in society, as is violence against women", said Amandine Cormier, from Grève féministe (Feminist strike), during a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.




"Patriarchal violence is practiced everywhere – in homes, in workplaces, in places of study, in the street, in public transport, in healthcare establishments – absolutely everywhere in society," Cormier added.

Trade unions are also taking part in the marches.

05:02

"Successive governments have made many promises, but the resources allocated are not only insulting but decreasing, [and] political action is almost non-existent," deplored the signatories to the call for action, who want to see a "real surge" in efforts to combat the violence.

In November 2017, a few months after his election to the Élysée Palace, President Emmanuel Macron declared equality between women and men a major priority of his term, with a "first pillar" to be the fight "for the complete elimination of violence against women".

An emergency number, 3919, for women victims of violence has since been established and special bracelets can now be worn by men who have a restraining order against them that will alert the woman if they come within a certain distance.

These measures have been welcomed by women's rights associations. But they deem them insufficient to tackle the severity of the problem and urge the government to do more.

04:51Gisèle Pelicot arrive au tribunal d'Avignon, le 10 octobre 2024 © Christophe SIMON / AFP

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