A legislative proposal aimed at addressing sexual and gender-based violence against women and children is currently being reviewed by a parliamentary committee and is expected to be presented to the National Assembly on October 1st. The proposal comes from a feminist coalition formed in October 2024, which developed 140 recommendations. These were later adopted by a parliamentary coalition in January 2025. The initiative was partly inspired by the tragic case of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and found dead in early June. Despite multiple procedures targeting the main suspect, the case sparked widespread public outrage and prompted the government to rethink its approach to combating violence against women and children. The legislative proposal has garnered significant support, but not without controversy. A total of 241 deputies have raised concerns about what they describe as "unnecessary repressive measures" included in the text. Elsa Deck Marsault, a feminist activist and co-founder of the queer feminist collective Fracas, has been critical of the proposal’s punitive elements. Marsault is also the author of two books examining the intersection of feminism and punitive state policies. She points out that the proposal’s prevention section has been weakened compared to the original recommendations. The government has opted for a less comprehensive approach, such as a simple annual questionnaire on sexual and gender-based violence in schools, instead of individual interviews, due to understaffing in the National Education system’s social and medical services. Marsault also criticizes the repressive section of the proposal, arguing that it requires victims to file a formal complaint in order to access many of its provisions. She highlights that 8 out of 10 women who experience violence do not report it, not due to a lack of awareness or control, but because of the complex and often discouraging process of responding to violence. This is especially true for racialized individuals and sex workers, who often face institutional violence. Marsault warns that placing the responsibility of combating sexual violence on state institutions risks granting the state a "feminist mandate" to expand its security powers. She references the 2018 "Schiappa law," which introduced an offense for sexist insults and has led to the increased criminalization of certain groups. Instead, Marsault advocates for restorative justice, which allows victims and perpetrators to meet in a structured setting. This approach has been part of the "Taubira law" since 2014 but remains underutilized due to lack of resources and resistance within the judicial system. She also promotes transformative justice, an alternative to state justice that is gaining traction in anti-racist and decolonial feminist circles. Transformative justice focuses on changing societal structures rather than just repairing harm, and it critiques the capitalist and penal systems, aiming to improve the material conditions for all people. Marsault notes that the current feminist movement, while largely unified in its call for the state to recognize gender violence, has moved away from earlier anti-institutional stances. The rise of the MeToo movement in 2017 and the formation of groups like Nous Toutes have contributed to this shift, but have also led to the marginalization of diverse strategies and political goals within the feminist movement.