Feminicides: 102 women killed in 2020, Darmanin announces new control measures

More than a hundred women (102) lost their lives in 2020 under the blows of their spouse or ex-spouse, announced Sunday Gérald Darmanin, detailing a series of measures intended to fight against this scourge.

In an interview with the

posted online Sunday evening, the Minister of the Interior announces in particular the priority treatment of complaints for domestic violence, an officer specializing in this violence in each police station and each gendarmerie brigade, drawing lessons from the feminicide of Mérignac following which he had requested an inspection mission.

More than 400,000 interventions by the gendarmerie for domestic violence

Gérald Darmanin comments on the 2020 figures of the "study on violent deaths within the couple" which will be published on Monday. If 102 women - 23 men - lost their lives in 2020 in these circumstances - "a historically low figure", while in 2019 there were 146 feminicides - the Minister emphasizes that last year was special with "two containments ".

Nevertheless, he continues, "the number of interventions by the police and the gendarmerie for domestic violence remains very high: more than 400,000, or 45 interventions per hour".

"Not a day goes by without the GIGN or the Raid going to free a woman or children taken hostage ..." Gérald Darmanin notes that domestic violence "is becoming the first reason for police intervention and gendarmes ".

Promote the recruitment of judicial police officers

To ensure a better follow-up of these situations, the Minister recalls that the instruction given to the police officers and gendarmes is to make "a report to the prosecutor", the objective being that "100% of the findings turn into a complaint or report". Handrails are also “definitively” banned, he says. To cope with an increased number of procedures (193,000 last year), Gérald Darmanin promises to promote the recruitment of judicial police officers.