A French government report released on Friday shows that security forces recorded some 271,000 victims of domestic violence in 2023, with women making up the vast majority of cases. This figure marks a doubling of reported incidents since 2016.
The annual report by the Ministerial Statistical Service for Internal Security (SSMSI) indicates a 10 percent increase in recorded cases from 2022 to 2023. The rise is partly attributed to more open reporting by the press and improved reception conditions for victims.
Women account for 85 percent of victims, while men are the alleged perpetrators in 86 percent of cases, with most of them being French nationals.
“This doubling since 2016 shows that more and more women are taking the step of filing a complaint, which is excellent news,” said Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Women's Foundation.
“Now the budgets have to keep up ... we need extra resources to support, investigate, hear, judge and above all support the victims who, from the moment they file a complaint, put themselves in danger.”
Mailfert highlighted the risk of reprisals from partners or ex-partners.
Physical attacks and homicides
The Interior Ministry reports that two-thirds of domestic violence cases involve physical assault.
Verbal or psychological violence, including harassment, threats, privacy invasion and defamation, accounts for 32 percent of cases.
Four percent of cases involve sexual violence, and some incidents of psychological violence have led to suicides or suicide attempts, according to the report.
In total, there were 115 domestic homicides and 437 attempted murders in 2023. The northern departments of Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme and Seine-Saint-Denis, as well as the overseas territory of Réunion Island, recorded the highest rates of domestic violence per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 to 64.
Incomplete data
The report notes that the official figures do not fully represent the scale of domestic violence, as many incidents go unreported. An SSMSI survey showed that only 14 percent of victims filed complaints with security forces in 2022.
“The police forces are improving their practices, but this is no time for crowing; we need to redouble our efforts,” said Mine Gunbay, director general of the National Federation of Women's Solidarity.
"There's still a lot to be done," agrees Ernestine Ronai, head of the Observatory of Violence Against Women in Seine-Saint-Denis.
"We need to enable women to have confidence in the security forces and the justice system, and we need all the professionals who work with women victims to be trained."
Secretary of State for Gender Equality Salima Saa pledged in a press release on Wednesday to announce “concrete and effective measures” on 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
These measures will aim to improve victim outreach, particularly in rural areas, and to strengthen support and care through training for frontline workers and additional resources for victim support.
