Domestic violence on women

Emmanuel Macron: Domestic violence is 'France's shame' French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out against domestic violence, saying it shames France that a woman is killed every three days. In a speech marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, he said the silence around the issue must be broken. He has made gender equality one of the main themes of his five-year term in office. A number of demonstrations are being held across France to mark the day. During his election campaign last year, Mr Macron said that the issue of violence against women would be a priority for his presidency. Polls conducted by his then movement, En Marche, suggested that it was the French public's top concern. During his speech, Mr Macron observed a minute's silence for the 123 women killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2016. Nearly 225,000 women were physically or sexually abused by their spouses, but fewer than one in five filed a complaint about it. On-demand bus stops Among the measures Mr Macron announced are a 24-hour online service for victims of violence, harassment or discrimination. Victims will be able to speak to trained policemen and women to talk about incidents of sexual violence and harassment and find out how to report them. An awareness campaign on pornography will be launched in secondary schools and the government will introduce a bill against sexual and gender- based violence next year, he said. Mr Macron's proposals include criminalising street harassment, extending the statute of limitation for the rape of children and setting the age of sexual consent at 15. Earlier this month, France's minister for gender equality Marlene Schiappa said the government was considering setting a fixed age below which sex was automatically a serious offence . Other measures will include an app for victims of online stalking and "on demand" bus stops in the evening, where women can stop a bus anywhere at night so they can get home safely. This service has already been tested in several towns, including Bordeaux. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women kicks off 16 days of activism with sexual harassment as a focal point of this year. Related Topics Domestic Abuse Emmanuel Macron Sexual violence France Women Share this story About sharing More on this story France to reassess child sex laws after controversial cases 13 November 2017 Top Stories Egypt vows forceful response after massacre A devastating gun and bomb attack on a mosque in the Sinai peninsula killed 300 people. 25 November 2017 'I saw 10 armed people in mosque attack' 25 November 2017 'Altercation' caused Oxford Circus panic 25 November 2017 Features Mugabe and me Fake Sinai photos on social media The poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko How INXS Kick-started their career Security key issue in Honduras elections Inside Tencent's artificial intelligence lab Week in pictures I love animals but I kill them too How Zimbabwe's new leader will be different Why you can trust BBC News BBC News Services Explore the BBC Copyright © 2017 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. AFP De l'Elysée à la rue, mobilisation aujourd