ETheir names are Zaïa, Mélina, Laure, Élodie, Béatrice. Until now, no one has linked the five women, whether by age, place of residence or profession. However, since last week, the same terrible fate has brought them together. They join a (too) long list of female murders, five in all, within a week (or, for some, even a day) at the hands of their partners or ex-partners.
Although this Tuesday, November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, these five deaths show an equally disturbing pattern: men commit murder every time a woman loses control or asserts her authority, her independence, as demonstrated Parisian. Zaïa, 27, was killed by her partner (already convicted of violence) after a heated argument. He then decided to burn her body in the young woman’s car, to disguise the crime as suicide by self-immolation.
The partner of Béatrice, 56, explained that she acted after “an argument (that) occurred over one of their daughters”. Suffering from a “psychiatric disorder that was treated a priori”, he hit his partner over the head with a statue, tried to suffocate her with a pillow and stabbed her several times. Regarding Mélina, the “trigger” mentioned by the suspect – her colleague – was… the insulting remarks she received, as well as her rest being disturbed by the noise of the vacuum cleaner. According to him, he was influenced by his partner’s recent desire to end the relationship.
Men have been punished
He grabbed a hunting rifle and said he “brandished the gun to threaten her without wanting to use it.” This aroused a melee, a friend who tried to escape, with a knife in his hand. The first findings on the victim’s body: a broken nose, scars on the cheekbone and forehead, strangulation marks, defense wounds and two stab wounds on the neck.
Élodie was found with a swollen face. According to his colleague’s statement, they were in a relationship as a couple, but each lived in their own house. Their alcohol consumption was “very significant on a daily basis for both of them”, including on the night of the 50-year-old’s death. An episode of domestic violence had befallen the couple, and the procedure led to a contact ban being imposed on the couple for three months.
Finally, Laure, the last victim, has filed complaints twice against her ex-partner, for “intrusion of privacy”, and last October for damage to his vehicle. Since October 24 it has been equipped with a “Monsherif” button. This allows victims of violence to raise the alarm in case of danger. His partner was convicted several times for violence, vandalism, traffic violations and moral harassment against other women.
107 female victims by 2024
Four of the five suspects admitted the facts. The motive for their actions is similar to that of other female murders that occur every year in France. As a reminder, Larousse defines femicide as “the killing of a woman or young girl, because she belongs to the female gender.” In 2024, 107 women will be victims of femicide, according to data from the Inter-Ministerial Mission for the Protection of Women (Miprof). An increase of 11% between 2023 and 2024.
In detail, 107 women were victims of marital femicide (31 men, + 35% in one year), 270 attempted murder of feminists, 906 abuse from partners or ex-partners which resulted in suicide (of the victim) or attempted murder. In total, there were 1,283 women who were victims of direct or indirect feminization, or attempted femicide during marriage, compared to 1,196 women in 2023. “This means that every day, 3.5 women are victims. » 277,000 adult women reported being victims of rape or attempted rape or sexual violence in 2023.
READ ALSO Shaïna’s affair: “When justice is poorly served, everyone suffers the consequences” The typical profile of a writer “remains mostly male, most often in a relationship, of French nationality and not or no longer involved in professional activities,” the ministry noted. This figure “occurs mostly in the 20 to 49 year age group” with “a very significant peak in the 70 and over age group compared to 2023”.
78 page bill
“Every seven hours, there is a woman whose partner or former partner commits murder, attempts murder, commits suicide, or attempts suicide,” wrote the annual letter from the National Observatory of Violence Against Women. However, the data only concerns “the couple, and does not reflect the phenomenon of feminicide as a whole (outside the couple)”.
47% of female victims have reported violence to internal security forces. The letter warns that every two minutes, a woman becomes a victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual violence. Therefore, the “comprehensive” bill proposed in the Assembly, aimed at combating violence against women and children, seems more than urgent.
READ ALSO Femicide: Country in the dockText, consulted specifically by Worldcontains 78 pages and is supported by more than a hundred members of parliament. This was the result of ten months’ work carried out by all political forces in the Assembly, except the National Rally and the Union of Rights for the Republic.
The general aim is to fight “impunity, which is often still the norm, fueled by a lack of resources, a lack of protection and support, a lack of training for professionals, and a justice system that has not adapted enough to deal with sexual violence.” Even though the term femicide has become a matter of public debate, currently the term still does not appear in the Criminal Code, even though the fact that the crime was committed by a partner is considered an aggravating circumstance.
“Filling legal blind spots”
The text is divided into five sections: justice and policing, childhood, work, health, various provisions (forced marriage, vulnerable communities, secondary education, cyber violence). The first article envisages the creation of special units within the judicial police, to deal with sexist and sexual issues.
To find
Kangaroo today
Answer
Article 12 removes marital obligations from French law. Article 17 establishes an annual individual interview for each child, starting from the first year of kindergarten, to prevent and detect all forms of violence. However, the bill does not make sexual violence experienced in childhood unexplainable, as some associations have called for.
The text aims to “fill weak spots in the law, protect the most vulnerable groups (minors, migrant women, women and children with disabilities) and guarantee every victim dignified care, accessible justice and ultimately effective prevention,” according to the explanatory memorandum.
