French women rally against sexual abuse under #MeToo banner

French women rally against sexual abuse under #MeToo banner
A women holds a placards reading "We will not be silent anymore" during a gathering against gender-based and sexual violence called by the Effronte-e-s Collective, on the Place de la Republique square in Paris. (AFP)
Updated 29 October 2017
Follow

French women rally against sexual abuse under #MeToo banner

French women rally against sexual abuse under #MeToo banner

PARIS: French women are protesting sexual abuse and harassment in 11 cities across the country under the #MeToo banner in the wake of mounting allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Women’s group Les Effronte-e-s has called on women to “go on the street to show ... we are thousands and thousands who have to live, cushion the blow, digest it and handle often-traumatizing experiences.”
In Paris, a few hundred people gathered on the Republic Plaza for the protest Sunday.
French statistics show that over 80,000 adult women face rape or attempted rape every year in the country but only 10 percent file a complaint.
The French government last week proposed a bill aiming to eventually make harassment against women in French streets an offense that will be punished with fines.