NYTimes.com, by Steve Erlanger, Paris, 29/06/2010, extracto/excerpt.-
The French parliament gave final and unanimous approval on Tuesday to a law that makes
“psychological violence” a criminal offense as part of a law intended to help victims of physical violence and abuse,
especially in the home.
The law is thought to be too vague by some judges and police, and whether they choose to investigate and prosecute such offenses will define the success of the new legislation.
Nadine Morano,
Minister for Family Affairs, told the National Assembly that “we have introduced an important measure here, which recognizes psychological violence, because it isn’t just blows, but also words.” Ms. Morano said that the primary abuse helpline for French women gets 90,000 calls a year, with 84 percent concerning psychological violence.
