The Prime Minister announced the allocation of nearly 1.5 billion euros to combat sexual and gender-based violence in the 2027 budget, an amount equivalent to that of 2026. This sum is considered insufficient to implement the measures outlined in the so-called comprehensive law against sexual and gender-based violence, according to associations. In addition, Sébastien Lecornu announced 2.6 billion euros for child protection. Recruitment of investigators, support for associative structures: the government promises to allocate nearly 1.5 billion euros to combat sexual and gender-based violence (VSS) in the 2027 budget, an amount equivalent to that of 2026. "Despite financial difficulties," the 2027 budget will mark the "will" of the government to combat VSS, said the Prime Minister on Tuesday, September 15, in an op-ed in Le Monde. Sébastien Lecornu also announced a "multi-year trajectory" with a "starting base of nearly 1.5 billion euros against sexual and gender-based violence distributed across the state and social security budgets" and "in addition, 2.6 billion" for child protection. These amounts "correspond to the means committed in 2026," which the government wishes to safeguard, but they cannot be committed without the approval of the state and social security budgets, warned Matignon in the evening. In addition, there are "targeted reinforcements," including 40 million in digital investments and "additional jobs" for the judiciary, according to the same source. These announcements come as the special commission tasked with examining the so-called comprehensive law against sexual and gender-based violence will hear ministers Gérald Darmanin (Justice) and Aurore Bergé (Equality between women and men) on Wednesday afternoon at the National Assembly. Many deputies who advocated for such a text have secured its inclusion in the parliamentary agenda from the government following the Lyhanna case. It will be examined in the chamber of the Palais-Bourbon starting October 1. "We need three billion" euros per year to combat sexual and gender-based violence and this is a low estimate," recalls Suzy Rojtman from the National Collective for Women's Rights. "If the Prime Minister imagines being able to implement the comprehensive law with a starting envelope halved, it is a mistake," reacts Marceau Beauvois from Face à l'Inceste. "This would amount to renouncing the comprehensive nature of the law by sacrificing certain measures and certain groups," he emphasized, calling on parliamentarians to "replenish the envelope." The proposed law aims to cover the entire chain of violence: detection, prevention, support, justice, reparation, and follow-up of perpetrators and victims. It includes the creation of specialized courts for sexual violence and intrafamily violence, a minimum base of investigative acts requiring the hearing of the victim and the suspect, the creation of a victim center in each department, or the creation of an autonomous crime of incest, accompanied by "specific and reinforced penalties." After a summer break, the associations have decided to continue demonstrating every Monday evening in front of courts to demand this comprehensive law, accompanied by financial means. They had started this movement in early June in the wake of the Lyhanna case, named after the 11-year-old girl found dead and raped in the Gers. The ministers Aurore Bergé (Equality between women and men) and Gérald Darmanin (Justice) were questioned by the National Assembly on Wednesday, September 16, by the special commission charged with examining the comprehensive bill against sexual and gender-based violence against women and children. The government's financial commitment has repeatedly come up in exchanges with deputies. The special commission charged with examining the "comprehensive response to the phenomenon of sexual and gender-based violence against women and children" bill began its hearings on Wednesday, September 16. And following the Prime Minister's budget announcements, Sébastien Lecornu, the subject was necessarily on the agenda of the discussions. "These 1.5 billion [for women] and these 2.6 billion [for children], they are insufficient, (...) largely," said the deputy and general rapporteur of the text, Céline Thiébault-Martinez (Socialists), addressing the ministers Gérald Darmanin (Justice) and Aurore Bergé (Equality between women and men). The needs have been "evaluated at a minimum" by the initiators of this text at 3 billion euros per year, from 2027 to 2032. This amount is mentioned in Article 68 of the bill. "There will be a budget question during the debates. It is legitimate and even necessary," replied Aurore Bergé, while recalling that "the means allocated to the Equality ministry have tripled in five years" and that this "progress represents a rare political choice, in a constrained budgetary context." Taking up the figures presented by Sébastien Lecornu (1.5 billion for sexual and gender-based violence and 2.6 billion for child protection), the minister spoke of an "acquired base" and "irreversible." "There is what we must do in addition, notably by increasing human resources, which will be the case in 2027," she added, refusing to "reduce the collective political ambition that underpins this text." Aurore Bergé also indicated that the government would submit an amendment "which will allow, year after year, to establish the necessary budget amounts, as a multiannual programming law would do." "I am pleased," responded her colleague Gérald Darmanin. The preserved budget of the Justice ministry "allows us to respond to the first advances, if the law were adopted by the end of the year, in 2027," said the minister. But he immediately warned: "The means will not be available if the comprehensive law is passed as is, without a significant increase in staffing and (...) in training." "Where are the meager 3 billion to combat violence against women and children?" asked deputy Gabrielle Cathala (La France insoumise), who denounced the "maneuvers" of the government. "A comprehensive law without a comprehensive budget will be an unimplementable law and you will be responsible for it," added Clémentine Autain (Ecologist and social). On the other hand, Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo (Horizons) asked Aurore Bergé for details regarding the government amendment on a multiannual programming law and its distribution in the budgets of the State and the Social Security. The same applies to Véronique Riotton (Together for the Republic), for whom the text "does not ask for an additional 3 billion," but that the State "invest 3 billion per year, continuously." Deputy Caroline Parmentier (Rassemblement national) denounced a "trickery," since the 1.5 and 2.6 billion are the "amounts already allocated today to the handling of these violence." "This is a base, it is not an endpoint, it is a starting point," Minister Aurore Bergé said. Emphasizing the "starting base" mentioned in the article published Tuesday in Le Monde by the Prime Minister, namely 1.5 billion for women and 2.6 billion for children, Aurore Bergé assured that "this is not an endpoint," but "a starting point." "Because we do not know what will finally be adopted in this bill," the minister stated. "For this government, there will be no going back on this minimum" and "we will continue to increase the associated means," she affirmed, adding a few minutes later: "This means we are not starting from nothing." In this article in Le Monde, Sébastien Lecornu promised Tuesday to allocate nearly 1.5 billion euros to the so-called "comprehensive" bill in the 2027 budget. To this amount "distributed across the budgets of the State and the Social Security," will be added "in addition, 2.6 billion" for child protection, said the Prime Minister. These amounts "correspond to the means committed in 2026," Matignon had specified shortly afterwards. After the hearings taking place this week, the examination of the bill will begin on Monday in committee, then the following week in the hemicycle of the National Assembly.