Domestic violence: Francois Fillon announces the institution of electronic bracelets.

In France, roughly 146 women are killed each year by their husband or partner. To stop that high domestic violence, the Prime Minister Francois Fillon announces a bunch of measures. The fight against domestic violence has even been considered as the “grande cause nationale” for the year 2010.
The principal device introduced by the government is the electronic bracelet. Its concept is simple: judges have the power to force men convicted with domestic violence to wear on their ankle or their wrist a GPS system and an electronic bracelet. The victim also has a GPS system that has an emergency button to alert the police. As soon as the convicted partner gets within a 400-meter security zone from the victim, the alarm will go off. The system, already in use in Spain, will be tested in two or three departments in 2010. And for Francois Fillon, this system will be an alternative to law suits or part of the sentence terms.
Other concept imported from Spain: the “ telephone d’appel d’urgence sociale”. This device will allow the victim to call the police in case of “domestic violence” emergency, it will also allow the police to quickly locate the victim by GPS, and also to set up a “social” follow-up of the victims by psychologists. The Secretary of State for Family Affairs, Nadine Morano said that the idea was to cope with cases of psychological violence.
A law banning “psychological violence within the couple” is to be passed. “This offence will allow to cope with those situations that leave no visible scars, but which leave their victims inwardly hurt” said Francois Fillon. The Prime Minister wants to create a civil law that provides a “protection order” which would protect the women victims even before she decides to lodge a complaint against the partner. One of the recurring problems with the psychological violence is indeed the victims' hesitation to lodge a complaint.
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