Domestic violence: after the government announcements, the disappointment of feminist associations

Has France finally taken sufficient measures to combat violence against women? While Inter Orga Féminicides singled out a 47 on 16 May^And woman killed because of her gender, yesterday the Minister of Justice presented a series of measures to better prevent and investigate violence within families.

These measures, prepared following the presentation of a parliamentary report to the Registry, are intended to help the authorities to do so “be much more efficient” in front of “the violence that makes us feel ashamed”stated the Keeper of the Seals during the press conference, where he was accompanied by Isabelle Rome, Minister Delegate for Equality between Women and Men, and by the two authors of the report, Émilie Chandler (Renaissance MP for Val-d’Oise) and Dominique Vérien ( Senator from Yonne, UDI).

Specialized stakes, express ordinances of protection, and anti-reconciliation bracelets

Among the future provisions issued by Éric Dupond-Moretti, that of the implementation in the 164 courts of the territory of “Domestic Violence Units” it is a fundamental measure. Their framework, fixed by decree “at the end of the summer”, will allow the magistrates and the referring prosecutor’s office to develop a coordinated team to better deal with this specific type of violence which most often affects women and children.

To guarantee the safety of the victims in the event of “extreme urgency”, the government also wants to be able to grant the justice the possibility of pronouncing the institution of a protection order within 24 hours. Currently and as of 2019 they can be delivered in as little as six days (compared to 45 on average before). This procedure will in any case be provisional and re-examined by a judge.

Another promise: that of deployment “from next month” From “anti-wedding bracelets” adapted to the 5G network, which will overcome the technical problems of those already in use.

“Incomplete” and “bankruptcy” measures according to feminist associations

These measures, which will be the subject of decrees or bills in the coming months, are far from sufficient to improve the judicial treatment of domestic violence, believe the feminist associations, which instead consider them “incomplete” AND “to fail”.

“We’ve been waiting for this report for seven months and it gives birth to a mouse. He’s very fearful, very unambitious about the problem of family violence, which is huge.”Women’s Foundation president Anne-Cécile Mailfert told AFP.

The latter, like other feminist associations, regrets that the government has not spoken out in favor of the creation of specialized courts, such as the one that has been set up in Spain, at the forefront of the judicial treatment of violence against women.

“The associations are calling for a specialized court on domestic violence, a one-stop shop that takes into account all aspects of a case: violence, divorce, child custody, compensation… With specialized judges who know the situations and avoid aberrant legal decisions”points out in a press release Anne-Cécile Mailfert, who recalls it “when women file a complaint, they enter a judicial labyrinth: they will have multiple interlocutors for the same case of family violence”.

To rule out the deployment of such specialized jurisdictions is, in his view, a “political refusal”. ” “The report rejects this specialized court solution on the grounds that it would be too costly. But at the same time, we unlock the means for other things in justice”regrets.

Same observation Françoise Briée, director of the National Federation Solidarity Women, who manages the listening number 3919, and who judges the specialized poles as a first step, “but we are in the middle of the ford”. These measures “will be able to be applied”, he adds. And here lies the main question.

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