Several thousand people marched in France on Saturday to protest against alarming levels of deadly domestic violence against women, which the president, Emmanuel Macron, has called “France’s shame”, reports The Guardian.
The biggest rallies were in Paris. The streets of the capital became a sea of purple and white as thousands marched carrying banners, placards and flags calling for an end to femicide.
A total of 116 women have been murdered in France so far this year by their husband, partner or ex-partner, according to an Agence-France Presse investigation. The group “Femicides by companions or ex” meanwhile puts the toll at 137.
On average, a woman is killed in France every three days by a partner or former partner, while marital violence affects 220,000 French women every year.
While France has a progressive record on equality at work and pushes for women’s rights around the world, it has among the highest rates in Europe of domestic violence. This is thought to be down in part to the poor police response to reports of abuse. Many of the women killed this year had previously sought help from police, it has been reported.
The protest came on the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and is aimed at pressuring the government before it unveils new measures on Monday to tackle the problem.