France to better protect women from rape drugs

France will do more to protect women from being drugged and raped, Prime Minister Michel Barnier has said, amid the trial of Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of repeatedly administering substances to his wife Gisele and allowing dozens of strangers to rape her while incapacitated.

Barnier said this week that the kind of abuse described during the trial must never happen again and that legal reforms and other planned changes will support women who fear they may have been similarly drugged and raped.

The state will fund and supply test kits that can determine whether someone has been exposed to so-called date-rape drugs, he said. The kits will be available in several regions on a trial basis, and paid for through the state health insurance system.

"These last months, the French have been deeply moved by the incredible courage of Gisele Pelicot," Barnier said during a news conference where the measures were announced. "This trial touches all of us. It raises the little-known question of chemical submission. There will not be any tolerance for violence against women."

He said women who suspect they may have been drugged and raped will be able to go to any hospital and be tested by the end of 2025. They will also be able to press charges at the hospitals where they are tested, without having to visit a police station.

Equality Minister Salima Saa said the change means women will be able to get support at 377 hospitals. She also said France will launch a new campaign, to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, something that she said has become "a new scourge".

She said the government will set up a new helpline, where women will be able to get "answers and advice" and find out "which laboratory to go to "and "what to do with your hair, blood, and urine tests".

France has also announced plans to increase its budget for emergency assistance for the victims of domestic violence, from 13 million euros ($13.7 million) to 20 million euros in 2025. The money will ensure the victims of domestic violence can leave homes they share with their abusers.

The government's response followed demonstrations on the weekend in which thousands of people marched through French cities demanding an end to violence against women.

Campaigners have welcomed the government's announcements but said more should be done, including the establishment of a 2.6-billion-euro fund for tackling violence against women, and a stronger legal framework.

President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly promised to end violence against women, and Saa said the government remains dedicated to the challenge, which she called the "great cause" of Macron's presidency.

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