This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
On a chilly autumn evening in 2019, the streets of central Paris were filled with a sea of purple-clad protesters, their signs and placards bearing the images of loved ones lost to gender violence.
Among the chants and slogans, one placard stood out: "In 32 femicides, it's Christmas."
According to an investigation by AFP, a total of 116 women had been murdered in France by their husband, partner, or ex-partner by the end of 2019, a toll that some groups put at 137.
One woman was killed every three days by her partner or ex-partner, while marital violence affected 220,000 Frenchwomen every year.
"We can no longer count the number of cases where femicides could have been avoided," the organizers said on Facebook.
As the protesters marched, they were joined by nearly 70 organizations, political parties, unions, and associations, with 30 marches taking place across France.
"This will be a historic march," said Caroline De Haas, one of the Paris organizers, adding that "the level of awareness is moving at breakneck speed."
Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet had acknowledged that the system was not working to protect these women, and the government was expected to announce measures to tackle the scourge.
But the protesters were not satisfied with promises alone, demanding a billion euros to address the issue, a figure that the office of France's equality ministry said was not feasible, citing a budget of 361.5 million euros per year.
As the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Monday, the marches across France served as a stark reminder of the global scourge that showed no signs of abating, with 87,000 women and girls killed in 2017, according to the UN.
