Articles 62 and 63 distract from the underlying problem
The National Assembly’s removal of Articles 62 and 63 on 9 October 2026 should not obscure the central issue: Women for Women France considers that the so-called “comprehensive” bill contains structural shortcomings that discriminate against foreign-born women and their children, dating back to the Feminist and Children’s Rights Coalition’s original 140 recommendations.
These articles were poorly conceived from a legal perspective and ill-suited to the political context.
The original 140 recommendations: a fundamental flaw in the bill’s design
Women for Women France’s analysis identified a lack of specialist expertise, insufficient consultation with those directly affected, particularly outside Paris, and a flawed legislative methodology.
These shortcomings resulted in a bill that discriminates against foreign-born women.
The original 140 recommendations:
- Did not provide an appropriate criminal law response to administrative abuse, economic abuse and coercive control, forms of abuse to which foreign-born women are particularly exposed.
- Presented female genital mutilation and forced marriage as forms of violence specific to foreign-born women, a discriminatory categorisation.
- Made access to several new rights conditional on having regular immigration status, even though administrative abuse itself jeopardises a victim’s residency rights.
- Failed to provide sufficient measures to ensure language accessibility, denying many women and their children effective access to protection.
These findings are set out in detail in our August 2026 report, together with our legislative recommendations.
The Feminist Coalition and Fondation des Femmes: methodology and independence
Women for Women France disputes the presentation of the 140 recommendations as the result of a representative consensus across the victims’ rights sector.
Like many other organisations, Women for Women France declined to join the Coalition because there was no rigorous methodology in place. The recommendations had already been drafted by a very small group in Paris, and organisations were then invited to propose amendments to an existing text.
A reform of this scale required a genuinely multidisciplinary working group, a thorough risk assessment and a consultation process involving those directly affected from the outset.
The funding relationships between Fondation des Femmes and organisations in the sector also raise questions about transparency, independence and governance.
We recognise the expertise of the Coalition’s member organisations and thank the many organisations that have supported, and continue to advocate for, our recommendations with parliamentarians.
Our position on the vote
We welcome the organisations that challenged the discriminatory provisions in the bill, including French Planning Familial, one of the four federations represented within the “Coalition”, which announced that it would oppose the bill unless the changes needed to protect foreign nationals were adopted.
Although this bill marks a historic widening of the gap between the rights of French and foreign-born victims in France, Women for Women France is nevertheless calling on MPs to vote in favour of it, in solidarity with French women and children who will benefit from the progress it represents.
But this bill should never have been described as a “comprehensive law”, and it should no longer be presented as one. A law that does not guarantee effective protection for all victims, regardless of their nationality or immigration status, cannot claim to provide a comprehensive response to gender-based and sexual violence.
Continuing to present it as such creates the false impression that it guarantees universal protection when it does not.
Media
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- Emergency services (police, ambulance, fire): 112 (24/7)
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- Helpline for victims of domestic abuse and gender-based violence: 3919 (24/7)
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About WFWF
Women for Women France is the NGO dedicated to supporting and defending the rights of immigrants experiencing domestic abuse and gender-based violence in France.
WFWF is the creator and manager of the national Online Multilingual Online Resource Centre for all people confronted with domestic abuse and gender-based violence in France.
WFWF has a team of multi-disciplinary experts in France who monitor current events and laws and provide research-based insights and recommendations.