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disorderlyvision
02-26-2010, 05:25 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8537591.stm


Men seen as likely to be violent towards their wives could be forced to wear an electronic tag under a law being debated by the French parliament.

The tag would have to be worn by men who have received a court order to stay away from their partner.

The proposal is part of a draft law on conjugal violence. It has cross-party support and is expected to pass easily.

According to the government, around 160 women in France are murdered by their husbands or partners every year.

Parliament is also considering outlawing psychological violence in the home, because it is seen by many as a precursor to physical violence.

It is rare for the left and the right in France to agree on anything, says the BBC's Hugh Schofield, so the near unanimity in parliament behind this law comes as something of a novelty.

Everyone agrees that domestic violence is bad and getting worse.

Professionals nervous

According to the government's figures, three women are being killed by their partners every week - not including many who are driven to suicide.

According to the proposed measures, men who have received court orders to stay away from their partners will wear an electronic bracelet and if they break the order and approach, police are alerted.

Another key clause has caused rather more argument - at least outside parliament, says our correspondent.

This is the creation of a new crime of psychological violence inside the home.

The bills' supporters say it is important to recognise that actual violence against women is always preceded by psychological bullying, and that this too needs to be outlawed.

But many lawyers and professionals in the field are nervous, our correspondent says.

They say it will impossible to say at what point verbal abuse - for instance in an argument - suddenly becomes a criminal offence.

Critics argue the psychological violence clause is unlikely to make any practical improvement to the lives of women who suffer domestic violence.

MelissaWV
02-26-2010, 05:44 PM
This just makes me facepalm.

If there is someone you do not want to see, or to see you, then disappear. If you want to get a restraining order, fine, but be advised that in order for the other person to "stay away" they have to know where to "stay away" from, which usually renders these orders counterproductive. You are essentially telling the person where you're living, where you're working, where you'd like to hang out...

Tracking someone electronically isn't really going to make a difference if they're determined to kill you. A lot of the in-the-news instances of someone tracking down an ex and killing them (that I can recall) were murder/suicide. If someone feels they have nothing to lose, and they're crazy, and they know where you are, what's stopping them from finding you and doing you harm?

At that point, you'd be way better off having a means to defend yourself... except the OP is about France. Yeah. You're pretty much screwed.

DapperDan
02-26-2010, 05:54 PM
except the OP is about France. Yeah. You're pretty much screwed.

Oui