Two days after tens of thousands of people demonstrated in French cities against men's violence against women, Minister for Gender Equality Salima Saa presented a range of initiatives on Monday to not only stop the violence, but also to increase awareness of how drugs are used to commit sexual assaults.
The outrage follows the rape trial of Dominique Pélicot, charged with drugging his wife and letting tens of men rape her for nearly a decade.
Expanding Hospitals
The government is now announcing that it will expand the number of hospitals where one can report an incident from 236 to 377 by the end of 2025, according to Saa.
A woman will be able to file a report at all hospitals with an emergency department and a gynecological department, says Saa.
She calls the use of drugs to commit assaults "a new scourge" – and a new helpline will be established, which, for example, will provide advice on which laboratory to turn to for hair, blood, and urine samples.
The budget to help victims of violence leave their homes will also increase from 13 million euros, equivalent to approximately 150 million kronor, to 20 million.
More is Required
But it's too little, according to several women's organizations that are demanding 2.6 billion euros and a "comprehensive regulatory framework" that replaces the current legislation.
In 2023, the French police registered more than 110,000 victims of sexual violence. Of these, 85 percent were women.
So far in 2024, 122 women have been killed in France, according to the organization Nous Toutes.
