French authorities have declared the fight against domestic, sexist and sexual violence to be a national priority and a matter of social, political and health urgency. Numerous legal measures have been created and strengthened over the years, with the aim of ensuring protection and support for victims, overwhelmingly women, and enabling the prosecution of those responsible for such offenses.
Yet, despite these declared efforts, the situation remains dire. Femicide rates are high, and sexist and sexual violence is still all too prevalent. The shocking case of Gisèle Pelicot, who was raped by 51 men including her husband, brought to light what victims of marital rape have long known: Danger can lurk everywhere, in public spaces and in the household.
The justice system should serve as a source of support, a civic reference point and a protective reflex. However, public trust in the justice system, already fragile, has given way to suspicion. How could it be otherwise when, all too often, the judicial process following the filing of a complaint resembles a true labyrinth of doubt and legal instability?
The instability of legal matters in indeed the issue when considering how judicial responses to identical cases vary between administrative regions and even departments. In some places, thorough investigations are conducted, while in others, no investigative steps are taken at all. In one place, prosecutions are initiated, and in another, cases are simply closed without the most basic checks. Such geographic inconsistency, unsatisfactory by nature, not only clouds the justice system’s clarity but also directly undermines its effectiveness.
Legal uncertainty is also an issue when long procedures mean victims wait for months between filing a complaint and obtaining a verdict. In some cases, months stretch into years of investigation, making the wait for trial an ordeal of psychological endurance. What solutions exist, that would not simply add another layer of complexity?
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