Victims of domestic abuse in France to be told when perpetrators leave prison

Domestic violence victims in France will now be notified when their former partner is to be released from jail. The move is part of measures put in place at the start of February to combat domestic abuse in France, where one women is murdered by a man every three days.

Fugures show one woman in France is killed by her partner or former partner every three days. © Dani Rodriguez/Alamy

“This is a significant progress for the fight to end violence against women in France,” said Anne-Charlotte Jelty, project manager at La Maison des Femmes. It's an organisation that has set up a refuge – within a hospital – for women facing hardships and domestic violence.

“Can you imagine how traumatic it is for a survivor to come face-to-face with a former partner when she thought he was in jail?”

The decree was passed on 24 December and became effective on 1 February. It also calls on the court to assess the need to monitor the offender and the need to protect the women and children.

A number of measures are included in the decree, including fitting abusers with an electronic bracelet (a GPS tracking device) to keep them away from their victims.

Jelty said that tools put in place over the past decade to address domestic violence in France, namely public awareness campaigns, have been working despite the growing number of victims.

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“If not the victim herself, there may be someone around her who will contact social workers or the authorities to report suspicions of abuse,” Jelty told RFI.

“For years now, victims have stressed how important it is for them to be properly informed on what kind of sanctions have been delivered towards their abusers.

"For example, unless the victims go to court, there is no official channel to relay how much prison time their perpetrator has received.”

To be told when their abuser will be released from jail is one of the many demands victims and organisations have called for.

Policeman on the run

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old policeman in the Paris region is on the run after allegedly killing his partner on 28 January. Arnaud B works at the Blanc-Mesnil police station, north-east of Paris.

His partner, 28-year-old Amanda Glain, was discovered strangled in the bathtub of their flat in Paris’ 19^th arrondissement.

Gender Equality Minister Elisabeth Moreno warned that Arnaud B was dangerous. The firearm of the police officer has not been found in his flat, nor at the police station. A homicide investigation is underway.

Jelty said the case underlined the huge problem caused by ill-prepared police officers mishandling victims of domestic abuse.

"There are also issues surrounding their ability to assess the risk faced by potential victims," Jelty said. "They are not adequately trained.”

Failures

A domestic violence complaint was filed against Arnaud B by a former partner in 2019. He was then court mandated to follow a programme on the dangers of domestic violence.

"Maybe the police officer got off lightly because of the leniency of fellow workers,” Jelty said, adding they failed to pick up on the signs displayed by Arnaud B.

The officer attempted suicide before being posted to the Blanc-Mesnil police station. He spent some time in a psychiatric institution and was not allowed to use a firearm.

More recently, according to Le Journal du Dimanche weekly, Arnaud B appeared to have been deeply affected by the death of his mother and was seeing a psychologist.

“It looks like no one was able to assess the danger he posed," Jelty said.

"He is now being labelled dangerous as he carries a firearm, but he allegedly killed his partner with his bare hands.”

#NousToutes, a feminist association fighting sexual violence, tweeted its outrage to President Emmanuel Macron and Moreno.

"Why is a police officer known for violent acts still allowed to work? This femicide could have been avoided."

À l’heure actuelle en France il y a eu au moins 12 féminicides. @EmmanuelMacron @1ElisaMoreno vous avez la responsabilité de protéger ces femmes. Comment un policier connu pour des faits de violences est-il toujours en fonction ?!

Ce féminicide aurait pu être évité.

— #NousToutes (@NousToutesOrg) January 29, 2022