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Femicide in France: Sexist culture 'facilitating violence,' justice system 'failing women'

Sarah McGrath, CEO of Women for Women France, joins France 24 to address the alarming rate of femicide and violence against women in France in the face of the government's inability to effectively tackle the crisis of gender based violence. This despite French President Emmanuel Macron's promise that tackling domestic violence would be a key priority for him. Ms. McGrath does acknowledge that "this government has put in a lot more measures than we've seen with previous governments." Yet she says the focus should really be on education, in addition to reforming, revamping, and simplifying a justice system that is way too complex. "It is a monster that we've created, it's really heavy on paperwork. And it's left to the victim to actually go through and navigate the system and ask for help, ask for assistance, and it's not easy to do." Ms. McGrath asserts that the root of domestic violence is a "cultural issue, it's men's violence." It stems from a culture of male control and domination. This will require a "cultural shift" that begins in schools and at home. The key is more education, less bureaucracy. "We are seeing the government take so many steps, adding new resources, new measures, new protections and creating a more and more complex system. And the figures aren't dropping, things aren't improving."