If your right to live in France depends on your spouse or partner, that link can be turned into a tool of control. A charity that supports foreign victims of domestic abuse is asking France to treat this as a crime.
What is being proposed
The French parliament is debating a wide-ranging bill on violence against women and children. It was introduced after the death of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl. The main suspect had been reported to police several times for alleged child sex offences without action being taken.
Women for Women France, which offers multilingual support to victims of domestic abuse, wants the bill to go further for foreigners. Its chief executive, Sarah McGrath, told The Local that what the charity calls administrative abuse is the most common form of abuse it sees, because an abuser can control a partner without using physical violence.
Typical examples she gave:
- blocking access to the partner's ANEF account, the online platform for getting or renewing a carte de séjour,
- hiding passports, permits and other vital documents,
- refusing to go to the préfecture with them, or to translate for them,
- sabotaging French classes or integration courses that some people must attend to keep their residency.
According to the charity, none of this is illegal today. It wants a specific offence in the French penal code, because losing residency rights makes it almost impossible to rent a home or keep a job, and can even affect custody of children.
It is also asking for victims of gender-based violence to receive an independent five-year carte de séjour as soon as they file a police report. Without proof of legal residence it is very hard to rent in France, so a secure permit would make it safer to leave an abusive partner and to work.
These are proposals. The bill is still being debated and nothing has changed in law yet.
If this is happening to you
You are not alone, and you do not have to wait for the law to change to get help.
- 3919 is the national helpline for women facing violence. It is free, anonymous and open 24 hours a day.
- In an emergency call 17, or send an SMS to 114 if you cannot speak.
- Women for Women France offers support in several languages.
- Migrant rights associations such as La Cimade can advise on residency questions linked to your situation.
Keep copies of your passport, visa, carte de séjour and any préfecture letters somewhere your partner cannot reach, such as a trusted friend's home or a personal cloud account. Make sure you know your own ANEF login and password.