Femicide of Sonia Bellina: UNFF condemns indifference and online hate
The charred body of the 29-year-old influencer from the Gard region was found on 12 August in Saint-Gilles. The UNFF president calls for protection and the removal of anonymity on social media.
Death of Sonia Bellina: UNFF president urges government action on femicides
The partially charred body of Sonia Bellina, a 29-year-old influencer from the Gard region, was discovered on Wednesday 12 August between rows of vines in Saint-Gilles, in the Gard. Two men were arrested and placed in custody; one was released the following Thursday, whilst the custody of the second was extended.
According to France Info, Sandrine Bouchait, co-founder and president of the National Union of Families of Femicide Victims (UNFF), responded on Friday 21 August on ICI Gard Lozère. "Women continue to die in the utmost indifference and unfortunately, nothing is being done to protect them," she said.
Figures that "continue to rise"
Bouchait emphasises that femicide statistics are not declining. "It is unfortunately yet another sad development," she stated, adding that the figures "continue to rise". The modus operandi—a charred body—has particular resonance for the UNFF president: her own sister was killed in the same manner. "It is true that this particularly affected me," she confided.
Bouchait said she thinks of Sonia Bellina's loved ones, as she knows, in her words, "the very difficult journey they will have to go through," due to the lack of institutional support for victims.
Approximately 150 people affected by each femicide
The UNFF's central objective is to "prevent this isolation following a femicide". The president specifies that "a femicide impacts approximately 150 people": family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and neighbours.
She also denounces the legal obstacles faced by loved ones. "Many families find themselves in great distress having to pay legal fees they had not anticipated," she indicated, evoking "institutional mistreatment". Bouchait reminds that Sonia Bellina's family is eligible for legal aid: "I hope she will not have to bankrupt herself paying legal fees, since she has that right."
Online waves of hate: Bouchait demands prosecutions
Following the death of the influencer, numerous hate messages were posted on social media against her. The UNFF president calls on the family not to consult them and demands prosecutions against their authors. "This is a family in mourning and they do not need to receive all these waves of hate on social media," she said indignantly.
Bouchait also urged the government on the question of online anonymity. "It is enough that we no longer know who is behind each account. We really must lift this anonymity on social media," she demanded.
Source: France Info