Domestic violence: when will LGBTQI+ people be considered?

Taking more account of the reality of domestic violence in the context of same-sex couples is the purpose of the amendments tabled by several MPs, including the Renaissance deputy Raphaël Gérard.

As part of the Orientation and Programming Bill of the Ministry of the Interior, it is based on Grenelle’s recommendations on domestic violence of 2019 and proposes through amendment 74 the establishment of a liaison officer dedicated to the care of victims of domestic violence in same-sex couples And “formed to welcome LGBT+ people”.

In the text of amendment 77 which Raphaël Gérard also presented with a dozen other deputies, the lack of consideration and listening to the specific paths of these victims is recalled:

“Care systems are not always suitable for welcoming the words of the victims of this violence. Many testimonies collected in the context of the Grenelle of domestic violence have highlighted a tendency on the part of the forces of order to minimize or deny this violence which does not conform to traditional schemes of representation. »

Domestic violence in the context of same-sex couples remained for a long time in the blind spot of public campaigns on the subject. It is for this reason in particular that the LGBTI+ Federation launched a campaign specifically aimed at victims in female couples in 2021.

The fact remains that this is a persistent taboo, even within the LGBTQI+ community, and that we deplore not only the lack of training in the police and gendarmerie services, but also in victim aid associations whose volunteers are more likely to support victims of violence in heterosexual couples, are not necessarily trained to recognize the specific situations of LGBTQI+ people.

Between 2018 and 2019, data from the Ministry of the Interior revealed that 8 homicides occurred within same-sex couples, seven within male couples and one within a female couple.

Photo credit: Mart production via Pexels