The Albany Gazette - 'After Mazan': France unveils new measures to combat violence against women

Equality Minister Salima Saa unveiled a raft of initiatives two days after tens of thousands of people demonstrated in major French cities against violence targeting women, where protestors denounced government actions as "window-dressing".

A case in the southern city of Avignon for 51 men, including one who drugged his wife over a decade and dozens of others are charged with accepting his invitations to abuse her at their home in Mazan in southern France, has stoked widespread anger.

There will be "a before Mazan, and an after Mazan just like there was a before and after #MeToo," Saa said during an interview with broadcaster Franceinfo.

But advocates are calling for more far-reaching measures, including a dedicated 2.6 billion euro ($2.7 billion) budget and a stronger legal framework to tackle the problem.

The government will extend 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 lodge a complaint at all hospitals with an emergency department and a gynaecological service," she said.

- Focus on drugs -

She also announced an awareness campaign about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, which she called "a new scourge".

As part of the campaign, a helpline "can provide answers and advice and tell you which laboratory to go to, what to do with your hair, blood tests, and urine tests", Saa said.

The budget for emergency assistance to help victims of domestic violence leave their homes will increase from 13 million euros to 20 million in 2025, a measure that has benefited 33,000 people since it was introduced at the end of 2023.

"We have succeeded in obtaining a 10 percent increase in the budget" devoted to gender equality, totalling 85.1 million euros, Saa said.

But that number falls far short of demands coming from women's rights associations, which are calling for 2.6 billion euros and a "comprehensive legal framework" to replace current legislation that advocates say is "fragmented and incomplete".

During his first term as president, Emmanuel Macron vowed to work to eliminate violence against women, a message Saa reiterated, calling it the "great cause" of his presidency.

In 2023, police recorded more than 110,000 victims of sexual violence -- 85 percent of them women.

And since the start of this year, 122 women have been killed, according to the feminist group NousToutes (All of us Women).

(N.Miller--TAG)