Against sexist and sexual violence, the Women’s Foundation wants to increase the state budget by 15%.

In a new report, published on September 25, 2023, the Women’s Foundation protests against the insufficient resources allocated by the state to fight violence against women, while gender equality is supposedly ” the great cause of the five-year period » (and the one before).

Multiply your budget by fifteen or thirty

This assessment follows an initial report entitled “Where is the money against violence against women? », published five years earlier. Study the different budgets mobilized by the State (excluding local authorities) in the fight against domestic violence and sexual violence outside the couple.

The scathing observation: “In total, the State will have spent 184.4 million euros in 2023 to combat all violence against women, when needs will be between 2.6 and 5.4 billion euros,” explain Claire Guiraud and Alice Gayraud, co-authors of the report, to our colleagues at Publication. According to daily calculations, “ this would be equivalent to multiplying the expected budget between 15 (based only on the victims who reported themselves) and 30 (taking into account the investigations into victimization) “.

A budget inadequate for needs

Over the last five years, another 50 million euros have been invested in the fight against violence against women. However, current budgets remain well below needs, the report highlights. The Ministry of the Interior notes, for example, an 83% increase in reports of domestic violence between 2018 and 2022. For sexual violence the increase amounts to 100% in the last ten years.

This report thus illustrates the paradox of #MeToo: even if we have never talked so much about violence against women, their care is less satisfactory than before #MeToo. The average budget per woman victim of domestic violence fell by 26%. This is explained by the fact that the explosion of requests […] it has never been followed by investments commensurate with needs.

WHERE IS THE MONEY AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN?, report dated 25 September 2023.

According to the Foundation, the State should invest between 2.6 and 5.4 billion euros per year (i.e. 0.5 to 1% of its budget) per year the budget allocated to the protection of victims of domestic, sexist and sexual violence in France. A figure that seems high but is not that much, explains Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Foundation, in the columns of Publication : “In reality, 2.6 billion euros is equivalent to 39 euros per inhabitant. And only 0.5% of the state budget. It would definitely be a matter ofa budget revolution for women’s rights, but not a budget revolution for France ». Currently, “We spend 2.78 euros per inhabitant”.