Thousands march in France to demand action on violence against women

"Thousands of protesters across France braved the cold on Saturday to express their anger over the persistence of violence against women and demand more public action and funds to combat the scourge. In Paris, crowds of demonstrators -- 50,000 according to organisers, 17,000 according to the police -- waved signs, chanted, danced and sang as they moved through the capital in the protests organised by the Greve feministe (Feminist Strike) collective of some 60 organisations."

""A man kills a woman every 2.5 days in France," read one placard distributed by the feminist collective NousToutes (All of us Women). "Nine out of 10 victims know their rapist," read another. "It's 2025, is it still normal to count our dead women?" said Sylvaine Grevin, president of the national femicide victims' federation, whose sister was killed in 2017, ahead of the start of the Paris demonstration."

"The associations behind the protests are calling for the adoption of a comprehensive framework law against violence, along with a €3 billion budget ($3.5-billion) to implement it. They are also calling for improved education and funding for groups that support victims of violence. According to official figures published Thursday by MIPROF, a government organisation tasked with protecting women from violence and fighting human trafficking, the number of intimate partner femicides rose by 11 percent between 2023 and 2024, with 107 women killed by their partner or ex-partner."

Thousands of protesters across France braved cold to denounce persistent violence against women and demand more public action and funding. In Paris, organisers said 50,000 people joined the march while police estimated 17,000, with demonstrators chanting, waving signs, dancing and singing. Protesters carried placards noting that a man kills a woman every 2.5 days and that nine of ten victims know their rapist. Demonstrators wore purple and called for a comprehensive framework law, a €3 billion implementation budget, better education and increased funding for victim support groups. Official MIPROF figures show intimate-partner femicides rose 11 percent to 107 in 2024 and report frequent occurrences of rape and sexual harassment.

Read at The Local France