“The commitment of French justice to stem feminicides is bearing its first fruits,” said the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, in Le Figaro, Tuesday January 2. According to the Minister of Justice, the number of femicides fell by 20% in 2023, from 118 in 2022 to 94 last year. “It’s very far from being satisfactory,” however, admits Mr. Dupond-Moretti.
The methodology of the authorities’ count is, however, contested by associations, in particular by the collective Nous tous, which, as of December 31, 2023, counted “134 feminicides” committed in France. “In 72% of cases, it is marital femicide. In 74% of cases it took place at home,” adds the collective in its message published on X.
In 2022, at least 118 women were killed by their spouse or ex-spouse in France, according to the national study on violent deaths within couples published on September 2 – 147, according to Nous tous. This official toll was only slightly down compared to 2021, when 122 femicides were recorded (113 according to Nous tous).
“A struggle that takes time”
The Minister of Justice announced in November that on January 1, 2024, each of the 164 French courts and 36 courts of appeal would have a “specialist division in intra-family violence”. It is now done. These centers are placed under the responsibility of specially trained “coordinating magistrates”, specifies the decree published on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“After the extension of serious danger telephones and anti-reconciliation bracelets (BAR), we can hope that our fight will be even more effective,” declares the Minister of Justice, who tells Le Figaro he wants to bet “on the new 5G generation of these bracelets “.
“We know that fighting this scourge takes time. This is what we must conclude from the Spanish experience, which shows us that it took six to seven years of a large-scale plan before seeing the figures drop drastically,” declares the minister, who includes figures closed on December 31, 2023.