France pledges millions to stop domestic violence after mass protests

Facing criticism from all quarters and under unprecedented public pressure, the France government pledged Monday to seize arms from spouses and train police in a better manner to reduce the number of women killed by their partners due to domestic violence. (AP)

While France has a progressive reputation and pushes for women rights around the world, it also has one of the highest rates in Europe of domestic violence. This is partly because of poor police response to reports of abuse. (AP)

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Paris on Saturday to demand a national wake-up call and more government investment to prevent deadly domestic violence against women, a problem that President Emmanuel Macron calls “France’s shame.” (AP)

PM Edouard Philippe announced several measures to tackle the porblem of domestic violence which included electronic bracelets for abusers and 1,000 new places in shelters for battered women. (AP)

Among other measures, the government will create prevention programs in schools, codify “psychological violence” as a form of domestic violence, and open two centers in each region to house perpetrators so that victims can remain in their homes. (AP)

In this Oct. 23, 2019 photo, Maya, 19, a psychology student from Versailles holds her phone showing a map of Paris as she explains how the women of the movement divided Paris into five different pasting zones. At least 138 women have been killed by their partners this year in France, according to activists who track the deaths. Many had reported abuse to police. (AP)