The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women serves as a stark annual reminder of a crisis that remains both global in scale and devastatingly close to home…

Global events on the 25th November, highlighted the UN’s latest chilling figures: a woman is killed by a relative every 10 minutes, amounting to 50,000 women and girls murdered in 2024 alone. While Monaco is spared the staggering numbers seen elsewhere, raising awareness remains essential.

As part of this year’s mobilisation, Monaco’s Committee for Women’s Rights has launched a powerful new campaign highlighting coercive control, a subtle but destructive form of violence where a perpetrator gradually isolates, monitors, and dominates a partner. Speaking on Monaco Info, Céline Cotalorda, Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights, stressed that these behaviours are often overlooked because they leave no bruises, yet they can be precursors to severe psychological and physical harm.

In support of the day, the Prince’s Palace lit up in bright orange, joining landmarks around the world illuminated to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The striking display placed Monaco firmly within the global “Orange the World” movement, underlining the Principality’s continued commitment to raising awareness and supporting those affected by gender-based violence.

The 2025 campaign, titled “L’enfermer, ce n’est pas l’aimer”, focuses on this insidious pattern through an animated film told from the perpetrator’s point of view,  a deliberate choice designed to expose how “love” is weaponised into control.

Monaco continues to collect data to better understand the scale of the issue. As of November 1, 45 cases of violence had been recorded by Public Safety, with 51 additional cases handled by victim-support association AVIP.

Authorities emphasise that the most difficult step remains speaking out. Victims in Monaco can turn to AVIP, Public Safety, the DAASO, and the CHPG, all of which have trained professionals ready to respond. The message of the day is urgent and unequivocal: awareness saves lives, and silence protects abusers, not victims.