The new emergency payment for domestic abuse victims is now available in France. This is a welcome and vital measure which will drastically improve outcomes for victims in France.
Women for Women France warns however that the measure in its current state is discriminatory, potentially illegal, and ignores the realities of domestic abuse and coercive control tactics.
It has been revealed that this payment will be denied to victims who have expired or no current residency rights, which are often a direct result of domestic abuse itself.
Sarah McGrath, CEO of Women for Women France, in an address to sector colleagues, said:
“Here we have another example of domestic abuse not being understood by well-meaning lawmakers, and a failure to consult with expert groups in their policy implementation.
“We know that one of the most common forms of domestic abuse carried out against foreign-born women is administrative violence.
“The perpetrator will actively hinder their victim’s ability to obtain or renew residency rights that she would otherwise be eligible for.
“This way, the perpetrator can use the threat of reporting their victim to immigration and stop her from maintaining or obtaining financial independence. Once this power and control has been established, perpetrators can then demand that their victims obey them, and carry out other forms of abuse, all with little fear of it being reported to authorities.
“One thing that continues to alarm me, is that there is still nothing in the French penal code against this devastating type of domestic abuse.
“If this payment is not made available to victims in irregular administrative situations, we are helping the abuser continue his violence. We will leave her trapped, completely abandoned by all of us.
“In fact, an ‘undocumented’ victim has higher financial needs than most victims, because she might not be eligible for any other forms of state financial assistance or housing, not to mention the extremely high translation costs for the documents needed to regularise an administrative situation”
“Jessie”, an American citizen in France, spoke of her experience:
“After arriving in France, my French husband managed to take total control of our money. When it came time to renew my residency card which was based on us living together, he simply refused to come to the prefecture to validate my request.
“So I became ‘undocumented’. I couldn't believe this.
“I thought all of this abuse must be illegal. But I talked to the police and they said they couldn’t do anything, that technically no law was broken.”
If you are in this situation, please consult our Multilingual Online Resource Centre for all domestic abuse victims in France to examine potential solutions, and connect with local support services.
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If you are writing about domestic abuse, please consider including resources for victims in your article:
- Emergency services (police, ambulance, fire): 112 (24/7)
- Multilingual Online Resource Centre for victims of domestic abuse and gender-based violence: www.womenforwomenfrance.org (24/7)
- Helpline for victims of domestic abuse and gender-based violence: 3919 (24/7)
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About WFWF
Women for Women 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. Our expertise is in domestic abuse, coercive control, and migrants’ rights.
WFWF has a team of multi-disciplinary experts in France who monitor current events and laws and provide research-based insights and recommendations.