Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Paris on Saturday to raise awareness and demand tougher action on femicides in France.

To protest the rate of femicides, gender-based violence targeted at women, the crowd took to the Place de la Republique square as part of the demonstration, yelling "Enough" and carrying signs reading "Stop femicides" or "The planet needs women alive."  

The women of all ages and a few men observed 74 seconds of silence in tribute to the 74 women allegedly killed in France so far this year, among which four were killed this week, according to Facebook group "Femicides par compagnons ou ex" (Femicides by partners or exes).  

Interior Ministry figures show that 130 women were allegedly killed in 2017 by their husband or partner, up from 123 in 2016.  

"It's a massacre," said Julie Gayet, a French actress and partner of former French president Francois Hollande. "We need to raise awareness on what's happening today, which means that despite society's evolution, there's a step backward, and even more women are dying today."

The government will launch a broad consultation to draft new measures to prevent femicides in September, the minister of gender equality of France Marlene Schiappa said in an interview with weekly Journal du Dimanche.

The consultation will involve the interior and justice ministers, advocacy groups and other NGOs. Schiappa said the government will also launch campaigns to make sure domestic violence cases are reported.

"No country has reached zero femicides, but I think that if we all work on it, we can collectively do better on the long run," she added.

Women's advocacy groups in France, including the ones that organize this protest, have grown more vocal in recent days demanding the government stick to its gender equality promise and act decisively against domestic violence.