France Declares "Psychological Violence" Illegal

In a unanimous vote, French MPs have declared “psychological violence” an offense punishable with up to three years in prison. The decision was made as part of new measures against domestic abuse and drew support from both sides of the line. The law will help to protect an estimated 8 percent of women, targeting “repeated” verbal actions used with the intention to hurt the victim’s rights and dignity. In 2008, 156 women residing in France were killed by a husband, partner, or boyfriend, and another 675,000 French women have been victims of violent abuse in the last two years. A member of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement described the law as “a preventive measure as psychological violence always precedes [physical] blows.”