While 101 French women have been victims of a feminicide since January 1, 2019, feminist associations hope that the "Grenelle of domestic violence", launched Tuesday, September 3 in Matignon, will lead to a "Marshall Plan". In particular, they demand a fund of "at least 500 million or even one billion euros", which is much more than the current budget allocated to the fight against domestic violence amounting to 79 million euros.

On the occasion of this event, during which the government must announce emergency measures to strengthen the protection of victims, France 24 takes stock, in reports, on the situation of several states in the fight against feminicides.

Italy : disfigurement recognized as a machismo crime

In 2018, 120 women died under the blows of their spouse in Italy. From July 1 to June 30, 2019, they were already 39 victims of femicide.

Gessica Notaro is a survivor. Since the acid attack she suffered from her ex-companion in January 2017, the young woman has decided to mobilize against violence against women.

Today, disfigurement is recognized as a machismo crime. One measure, among others, of a new anti-violence law passed in early August by the Italian Parliament, which provides for double sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

"We have scheduled heavy sentences, and we have also eliminated the possibility of remissions for feminicide," said Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede.

Brazil : firearms and self-defense

In Brazil, the rate of femicides is one of the highest in the world, with an average of four women killed each day. Crimes committed, most of the time, in the homes of the victims, by their companion or former companion.

Sad record in Duque de Caixas, neighboring city of Rio de Janeiro. Nearly 4,000 women were assaulted in 2018. A special brigade was set up to visit threatened women every day, raped by their relatives, specifically their spouses.

To combat this scourge, the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has decided to make it easier to possess firearms in homes. "As a woman, I defend self-defense by arms," ​​said Leticia Aguiar, a member of Jair Bolsonaro's Social Liberal Party (PSL).

But this measure, presented as a means of self-defense for women, greatly worries those who fight against violence. Like Cristiane Machado, 35, herself a victim of domestic violence in the past. "If there had been a weapon in that house that day, I'm sure I would not be alive anymore," she says.

Possession of weapons at home has already been greatly simplified, but despite opposition, the Brazilian president wants to go even further, his country still ranked fifth in the world for the number of femicides.

South Africa : seeking solutions through speech

The country has a rate of femicide five times higher than in Europe. Three women die every day, according to recent statistics, under the blows of their spouse. A plague that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa intends to eradicate by organizing public consultations. NGOs, such as Siphokazi, are then called upon to seek solutions to address gaps in a legislative arsenal that is designed to protect women in South Africa, but which does not help stem violence.

Nosisi Gazi and Nosiphiwo Gcwabe, met by France 24, are two survivors. The first woman was raped with two of her friends and is the only one of the three to be living out of this aggression. The second is responsible for the NGO Siphokazi, but also saw his mother being beaten by his father during his childhood.

With Siphokazi, she opens a space where every woman can, during support sessions, tell the story she has experienced.

Spain : a pioneer in the fight against gender violence

Since 2003, "machismo violence" has been erected as a great national cause. Faced with the resurgence of this violence in Spain, the socialist government of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wanted to strike hard, and put in place measures that still today remain pioneers in the world.

The country then had a new justice system in Europe, armed with victim support offices, free legal and psychological assistance, and specialized courts with civil and criminal jurisdiction.

The strength of the fight against gender-based violence in Spain? An XXL budget. In 2017, for example, the mobilisations led to the creation of a national pact on domestic violence with a budget of 200 million euros to be distributed among the different ministries, regions and cities.

In this country of 46 million inhabitants, feminicides are declining. In 2018, 47 women died at the hands of their spouse, compared to 71 in 2003.