• France's news in English

'A third of French women are victims of stalking'

Joshua Melvin · 5 Mar 2014, 13:41

Published: 05 Mar 2014 13:41 GMT+01:00

Facebook Twitter Google+ reddit

Thirty percent of French women have been pestered with unwanted or offensive text messages, have been followed or had their property damaged by men who they didn’t want to date.

That's according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights report, which was released on Wednesday. The data from 28 EU nations, puts France behind only Luxembourg and Sweden in Europe, as having the highest number women who have reported being stalked .

However, this high incidence of harassment appears to be closely tied to an alarmingly high rate of violence against women. France ranked fifth among European nations, tying with the United Kingdom, with 44 percent of women being the victim of some type of violence since the age of 15. In Europe as a whole one in three women have been subject to some kind of violent attack, which equates to 62 million women. 

For a French women’s rights group the results are sadly unsurprising in a country they say has poorly defined domestic violence statutes and a cultural history of tolerating or encouraging macho behavior.

“We are still a country that is patriarchal, male chauvinistic with stereotypes that are reinforced by advertising and other means which leave some perpetrators thinking that women have fewer rights than they do,” Solidarité Femmes spokeswoman Françoise Brié, told The Local on Wednesday. “We know the statistics well: a woman is killed every two and a half days and one in ten women is the victim of domestic violence in France.”

According to the study results, France is well above the European Union averages for both violence and stalking, which stand at 33 percent and 18 percent respectively. In Europe as a whole one in three women have been subject to some kind of violent attack, which equates to 62 million women. In Denmark the rate was more than one in two (52 percent).

However, France's poor scores, as well as those of Sweden, which recorded the highest rate of stalking, and other Nordic countries, can partly be explained by the willingness of women in these countries to report incidents, as much as any shortcomings in law.

Campaigners point to the fact that in some countries in Europe women were less likely to be forthcoming about the levels of violence or stalking they had faced.

Fundamental Rights Agency spokesman Friso Roscam Abbing told the newsaper told French daily Le Figaro that Finns or Swedes spoke out more freely than Polish women, for example “where some families refused to let researchers talk to female members.” 

Technology means stalking likely to rise

The researchers expect the amount of stalking to continue growing in Europe now that smart phones and the use of social networks has become ubiquitous. The technologies make it easier but also more tempting to send harassing messages.

The issue of violence against women, in particular domestic violence, has long been on the agenda in France.

Last November the government took steps to tackle the problem by announcing a €66 million three-year action plan, which included changing the way incidents are reported and creating a 24/7 helpline.

The government has also taken steps to tackle inequality in a country which has a longstanding reputation for have entrenched sexist attitudes.

Story continues below…

Earlier this year a French short film on reversing gender roles went viral with 8.3 million views. “Oppressed Majority” shows men what they would have to put up with if they were women.

Joshua Melvin (joshua.melvin@thelocal.com)

Facebook Twitter Google+ reddit

Your comments about this article

Today's headlines
France given wake up call as it bids for Brexit business


Mouth fun? French words you just can't translate literally

Word of warning: Don't translate French literally.

How France plans to help its stressed-out police force

Could these measures stop the cops from protesting?

'3,000 migrants dispersed' after 'Jungle' clearance
Photo: AFP


Fifteen of the most bizarre laws in France
Photo: Matthew Powell/Flickr


Medieval town in south of France upholds ban on UFOs

Aliens take note.

American tourist dies at French Riviera sex club
The Riviera resort of Cannes. Photo: AFP


Photo: SeaBubbles

An in Seine idea surely? But tests will go ahead.

France joins fight for rich pickings from post-Brexit UK
Photo: AFP/DcnH/Flickr

France tries to woo EU's bank regulator and other agencies.

How speaking French can really mess up your English
Photo: CollegeDegree360/Flickr


The annoying questions only a half French, half Brit can answer
Sponsored Article
Last chance to vote absentee in the US elections
Forget Brangelina's chateau - here are nine others you've got to see
The must-see French films of the millennium - Part One
How life for expats in France has changed over the years
Why Toulouse is THE place to be in France right now
The 'most dangerous' animals you can find in France
Swap London fogs for Paris frogs: France woos the Brits
Anger after presenter kisses woman's breasts on live TV
Is France finally set for a cold winter this year?
Do the French really still eat frogs' legs?
French 'delicacies' foreigners really find hard to stomach
French are the 'world's most pessimistic' about the future
Why the French should not be gloomy about the future
French pastry wars: Pain au chocolat versus chocolatine
Countdown: The ten dishes the French love the most
Expats or immigrants in France: Is there a difference?
How the French reinvented dozens of English words
jobs available