A 30-year-old woman was beaten by a man on the streets of the French city of Montpellier after refusing his sexual advances in the latest act of random violence against women in France.
The incident took place Thursday at around midnight in the Figuerolles district of the city and saw the woman approached by a man on a scooter who attempted to engage her in conversation. When the woman ignored the man, who was intoxicated at the time, he began insulting and physically grabbing her.
According to a report from newspaper Midi Libre, the man struck the victim with his scooter and the woman used her shoes to defend herself against the attack. A second individual then got involved, helping the attacker by holding the woman as she was attacked again.
As a result of the brutal attack, the victim was forced to take five days off work due to the injuries she had suffered. The main attacker was later taken into custody by police after the victim gave a description of the man to officers.
The attack is just the latest against a woman on the streets of France in recent weeks, some of which have involved men expressing anger at women wearing revealing clothing.
In Strasbourg, a 22-year-old woman was punched in the face by three young men and given a black eye after one of the men called her a “whore in a skirt.”
In other cities, such as Rennes, women have expressed growing concerns over insecurity with local city councillor Anaïs Jehanno remarking, “In 2020, young girls no longer dare to walk around Rennes in miniskirts. Night workers are afraid to go home.”
A similar phenomenon has been reported in Sweden in recent years as well, particularly in so-called vulnerable areas, commonly referred to as no-go areas.
In 2018, a report claimed that as many as half of the women living in no-go areas felt insecure in their own neighborhoods in the evening.
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