Reporters

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we bring you a special documentary on the scourge of domestic violence. Every year in France, more than 220,000 women are victims of violence inflicted by a partner or ex-partner. This abuse usually takes place behind closed doors and takes many forms: beatings, rapes, genital mutilations, kidnappings. Tragically, 2019 saw more than 150 femicides. Journalist and documentary filmmaker Mélina Huet followed four women – a policewoman, a lawyer, a gynaecologist and an activist – who are trying to change the status quo.

In Poland, where the ultra-conservative government is considering implementing a court ruling that almost completely bans abortion, tens of thousands of women have been protesting relentlessly in the streets and churches of Warsaw, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. But the widespread anger goes beyond the pro-abortion cause and is also directed at the growing influence of the Catholic Church on the government, which now appears under pressure. Our reporter followed the Polish women and men who are fighting night and day to defend their rights.

Located in the Aegean Sea, the Greek island of Kastellorizo ​​is a rocky outcrop of 9 km² surrounded by turquoise waters. Three months ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to start gas exploration south of the island threw its 200 inhabitants into the international spotlight. They found themselves unable to reach the Turkish coastal city of Kas, two kilometres away by boat, which they depend on for supplies. Our journalists met the islanders of Kastellorizo ​​and their Turkish neighbours. Geopolitics seems a distant concern to them: all they want is to live in peace.

Sixty years ago, most of the French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa became independent nations. Between January 1 and December 31, 1960, some 17 countries, including 14 under French rule, gained their statehood. Senegal's first post-independence president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, referred to 1960 as the "magical year", while others hailed a peaceful decolonisation process.

In US presidential elections, the vote in certain states is predictable. But in others – known as swing states – there can be surprises. Our correspondents Jessica Le Masurier and Céline Bruneau travelled to the key battleground states of Minnesota and Wisconsin to see whether voters in America's heartland will choose Donald Trump or Joe Biden as their next president.

A tense electoral campaign for Ivory Coast’s October 31 presidential election kicked off on Thursday with the incumbent, Alassane Ouattara, seeking a contested third term. Some Ivorians accuse him of undermining the constitution, and the opposition has called for widespread "civil disobedience" to disrupt his controversial plans. In the past 25 years, Ivory Coast has regularly been the scene of post-electoral violence. Often at the cost of multiple human lives.

October 25 is shaping up to be a historic day for Chile. Voters are due to take part in a referendum on amending the Pinochet-era constitution. The vote is the culmination of a year of protests, to which the government responded with a violent crackdown. Some 31 people were killed and thousands were injured – including 468 who lost an eye, mostly to rubber bullets fired by the police or military. These injured protesters have become the martyrs of the Chilean revolution. Our reporters went to meet them and gauge the anger of the young generation.

In the two English-speaking regions of southern Cameroon, the country's regular army has been fighting secessionist armed groups in an asymmetric war for the past three years. In October 2017, English-speaking separatists declared a breakaway state known as "Ambazonia". The armed insurgency has turned into a guerrilla war, killing thousands of people, displacing nearly 700,000 more and leaving millions of civilians trapped. FRANCE 24 brings you a rare glimpse of one of Africa's forgotten humanitarian tragedies.

Like Sweden's Greta Thunberg, young French citizens are determined to act in order to save the planet. They're fighting for a greener world, but also a fairer and more responsible one. It's not just about climate marches: by denouncing advertising and staging symbolic blockades, they aim to challenge the government and public opinion on the climate and social emergency.

In Afghanistan, the time for dialogue has finally arrived. Historic Intra-Afghan negotiations began on September 12 in Doha, Qatar and, for the first time, representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government are holding direct talks to try to put an end to the 19-year conflict that began after the Taliban were ousted from power by American-led NATO forces in 2001. As a condition for the negotiations, the Taliban demanded the release of 5,000 of their fighters. Our reporters met with some of them, even as much of the Afghan population fears renewed violence.