“It’s a massacre,” said actress Julie Gayet who is also the partner of former French President Francois Hollande.

“We need to raise awareness on what’s happening today, which means that despite society’s evolution, there’s a step backward, and even more women are dying today.”

Women’s rights in France have come under particular scrutiny recently; gender equality was one of the key issues President Emmanuel Macron included in his platform for office, promising to tackle deep rooted inequity in the country.

Although progress has been made – France is now one of only six countries in the world to entrench equal pay within the law – campaigners say more must be done to protect women in the country. Rape convictions have dropped by 40% in the country since 2007 yet reports of sexual violence have risen by 20% in the wake of #MeToo.

French activists are protesting in an attempt to end femicide for good