Page 9 - AT

A9
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 26 November 2019

France pledges millions to stop deadly domestic violence

PARIS (AP) — Under un- descended on Paris and
precedented public pres- other French cities over the
sure, France's government weekend to demand stron-
pledged Monday to seize ger government action.
firearms from abusive Among other measures
spouses and better train announced Monday, the
police as part of a broad government will create
national plan to reduce the prevention programs in
number of women killed by schools, codify "psycho-
their partners. logical violence" as a form
Such killings happen of domestic violence, and
around the world, every open two centers in each
day, so common that they region to house perpetra-
go largely ignored — at tors so that victims can re-
least until now, French ac- main in their homes.
tivists hope. France has Philippe said Monday that
among the highest domes- the government would
tic violence rates in Europe, create 80 new positions
which President Emmanuel throughout the country
Macron has described as for point officers to handle
"France's shame." domestic violence com-
Prime Minister Edouard plaints.
Philippe unveiled several On Friday, Interior Minister
dozen measures Monday Women hold placards as they march against domestic violence, in Paris, Saturday, Nov, 23, 2019. Christophe Castaner and
to tackle the problem, in- Associated Press gender equality minister
cluding electronic brace- Marlène Schiappa unveiled
lets for abusers and 1,000 ciety." across Spain in remem- to UN Women, a branch of a new 23-question evalu-
new places in shelters for Violence against women brance of more than 1,000 the United Nations focused ation rubric that police of-
battered women. remains prevalent across women who have been on gender equality and ficers will use to assess the
Monday's announcement the globe, and Monday's killed by their partners or female empowerment. dangers women face.
marked the end of a two- announcement was timed former partners since the But it's above the EU aver- Schiappa, who spearhead-
month government project to coincide with the Inter- country began keeping re- age and the sixth highest ed the government proj-
to correct what Philippe national Day for the Elimi- cords in 2003. among EU countries. ect, said police training is a
called "dysfunctions" in nation of Violence Against Macron, meanwhile, spoke Victims and activists have priority.
France's response to do- Women. A nongovernmen- with domestic violence vic- charged that French au- For some family mem-
mestic violence. tal organization in Germa- tims in the Paris suburb of thorities often leave wom- bers of victims, however,
"The first success of this ef- ny lit up buildings across Créteil on Monday after- en unprotected, and a Jus- the measures announced
fort is to break this chain of the country in orange to noon. tice Ministry report released Monday were too little, too
silence," Philippe said Mon- mark the occasion, and The International Criminal earlier this month acknowl- late. Noujoud-Asia Ghemri,
day. South African President Police Organization, or IN- edged authorities' system- whose sister was allegedly
At least 138 women have Cyril Ramaphosa pledged TERPOL, also put out a pub- atic failure to intervene to killed by her husband in
been killed by current or to reopen unsolved sexual lic call for help in finding prevent domestic violence April, called them "a drop
former partners this year in assault cases. eight international fugitives killings. in the bucket."
France, according to activ- In Spain on Monday, femi- wanted for violent crimes French activists have Ghemri said her sister, Dali-
ists who track the deaths. nist activists confronted a against women. waged an unusual cam- la, was shot by her husband
Many had reported abuse prominent far-right Span- A 2014 EU survey of 42,000 paign this year to pressure in front of their home in Vi-
to police. ish politician after he used women across all 28 mem- the government to ad- dauban in southern France
The government will allo- an event against gender ber states found that 26% dress domestic violence. shortly after a judge ruled
cate 360 million euros ($396 violence to advocate for of French respondents said They've glued posters that he could continue to
million) next year toward abolishing the country's law they had been abused by with the names of victims enter the house for work
implementing the new aimed at protecting wom- a partner since age 15, ei- over French city buildings reasons. The husband
measures, which Philippe en. The action reverber- ther physically or sexually. and marched through was arrested in April and
said he hopes will serve as ated in evening marches That's below the global av- the streets at each new handed preliminary murder
"an electroshock in our so- joined by tens of thousands erage of 30%, according death. Tens of thousands charges. q