In France:tougher laws target abusers in legal clampdown
One of France’s most respected experts on domestic violence hopes the Scottish authorities will draw inspiration from her country’s clampdown.
Dr Ghada Hatem-gantzer, a consultant gynaecologist who specialises in working with at-risk women, said protection should be speedily available for all those in danger.
She told The Post that campaigners were particularly encouraged by a new French law that “means a female victim is informed about the release from prison of their aggressor”.
Convicted criminals also face up to a decade in prison if the person they have been abusing commits suicide as a result of harassment. New legislation introduced by the Paris parliament in February toughens up protection for all those at risk, including children.
All parental rights, including being able to visit a child, can potentially be withdrawn from a repeat offender. Key measures also include forcing abusers to wear an electronic bracelet fitted with a GPS tracking device so they can be monitored at all times.
Those at threat from an offender are informed immediately when an offender’s prison release date is known, so that protection measures can be ordered by a court.
These include preventing someone with a criminal record for violence having access to children.
Hatem-gantzer, founder and chief medical officer of the Maison des Femmes ( Women’s House) refuge in Paris, said the legislation had already made a difference.
“A woman dies in France every 2.5 to three days under the blows of her companion, and approximately 200,000 women are victims of gender-based violence each year,” said Hatem-gantzer.
“Above all else, this law means a female victim is informed about the release from prison of their aggressor, who is then prohibited from entering into contact with his victim, so she can be protected.”
Hatem-gantzer said the new law, had already reassured the victims of abuse.
She called on the Scottish authorities to implement something similar: “France has drawn inspiration from other countries such as Spain, and it is logical that other countries can draw inspiration from any action that benefits victims.”
Despite such tough new laws, Hatem-gantzer said much more work needed to be done across Europe.
The Maison des Femmes was opened in St-denis, one of the most deprived towns in France, by Hatem-gantzer in 2016 to offer medical care, counselling and legal advice to abuse victims.
The model has since spread across France, to deal with a crisis made worse by the Coronavirus pandemic.
“As everywhere in the world, we observed an increase in situations of intra-family violence, affecting women and children,” said Hatemgantzer. “This increase is estimated almost everywhere at around 30%.”
One of the worst problems with sexual violence is that victims often return to their abusers because they fear separation and think they can still make a relationship work.
“There is the shame of denouncing the father of their children and sending him to prison” and “society helps them to believe this,” said Hatem-gantzer.