The government announced on Monday new measures to combat violence against women, including one relating to chemical submission at the heart of the Gisèle Pelicot rape trial. Prime Minister Michel Barnier promised, during a visit to the Maison des femmes at the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris, zero tolerance towards this violence and said that it was necessary to “go further”.
“In recent months, the French have been deeply marked by the incredible courage of Gisèle Pélicot,” he continued, referring to the extraordinary trial and the international echo where around fifty men are accused of having raped a woman, Gisèle Pelicot, drugged by her husband.
A chemical submission awareness campaign
Faced with the “still little-known question of chemical submission”, the head of government announced the reimbursement by Health Insurance of detection kits “in several departments”, on an experimental basis and according to a schedule yet to be defined.
An awareness campaign on chemical submission will at the same time be launched, at the initiative of the M'endors pas association, co-founded by the daughter of Gisèle Pelicot and the Crafs listening platform (Reference center on attacks facilitated by substances), in partnership with the Order of Pharmacists.
Being able to file a complaint even at the hospital
This platform “can respond, and advise you, and tell you in which laboratory, what to do with your hair, blood tests, urine,” explained the Secretary of State for Women’s Equality. -men Salima Saa on franceinfo Monday morning.
Another measure announced on Monday was the expansion of the system allowing women victims of violence to file a complaint in a hospital with an emergency or gynecological department. The use of this system, in which the hospital contacts the police or the public prosecutor's office to file a complaint, is already possible in many French hospitals but will be extended to 377 structures by the end of 2025.
A budget increased by several million euros
Implemented at the end of 2023, universal emergency aid, designed to help victims of domestic violence and support them when they leave their home, will for its part see its budget increase from 13 million euros in the project of finance law (PLF) 2024 to 20 million euros in the PLF 2025, according to the government. Since its launch, this measure has benefited 33,000 people.
This aid, which can vary between 240 euros up to 1,330 euros depending on the situation, is on average 800 euros. The government plan also plans to provide each department with a Women's Center by 2025.
Measures far from expectations
In total, “we managed to obtain a 10% increase in the budget” devoted to gender equality, which rose to 85.1 million euros (+ 7.7 million eruo) in the PLF 2025, argued the Secretary of State.
The announcement of government measures should not, however, be enough to respond to the demands of women's rights associations who are calling for a total budget of 2.6 billion euros per year and a “comprehensive framework law” to replace existing legislation. current which they consider “fragmented and incomplete”.
