France has given emergency financial aid to more than 36,000 women fleeing domestic violence in the past year, as part of a nationwide drive to protect abuse victims.
The initiative provides financial support within three to five days, covering urgent expenses for those fleeing abuse.
It has been granted to 36,115 women since its implementation on 1 December, 2023, Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé said in an interview with newspaper La Voix du Nord.
The average aid amount paid, she added, was €877.
First femicide of 2025
Bergé announced the figures during a visit to the northern town of Haumont, where France's first femicide of 2025 was recorded.
Isabelle Mortaigne, a 52-year-old homemaker, was killed early on New Year’s Day. Her husband has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
Bergé joined family members and hundreds of local residents who placed white roses at the town hall, where a banner reading "In memory of Isabelle Mortaigne" hung from the facade.
Bergé said that 1,889 aid packages had been granted in the Nord department, where Haumont is located, in 2024.
Victims of domestic abuse in France to receive emergency aid
Ongoing challenge
While financial support aims to help victims leave abusive households, statistics indicate the scale of the challenge.
Official figures show 93 women were killed at the hands of their partner or former partner in 2023. While that's down on the year before, cases of domestic violence are on the rise.
The latest report from the Interior Ministry (SSMSI) published in November showed that security forces recorded some 271,000 victims of domestic violence in 2023, with women making up the vast majority of cases.
This figure marked a doubling of reported incidents since 2016.
(with newswires)
