Paris (AFP)

A priori consensual, the bill LR against violence in the family was adopted by a show of hands on the night of Wednesday to Thursday by the Senate on the right, in the absence of left-wing elected officials who had left the hemicycle to protest against a systematic rejection of their amendments.

One hundred and twenty-nine feminicides since the beginning of the year: this figure was hammered Wednesday on all the benches, unanimous on the need to fight against violence against women.

The bill proposed by MP Aurélien Pradié provides for the establishment of anti-approximation bracelet, more effective protection orders, facilitates the relocation of victims of domestic violence and also intends to breathe new life into the phone "serious danger".

It was unanimously adopted by the National Assembly at first reading, with the support of the government.

Strong symbol, the Senate began its examination in the presence, in the hemicycle, of its president Gérard Larcher.

But the atmosphere has seriously deteriorated in the late evening. Senators from the Communist-dominated PS and CRCE groups left the Chamber to protest against the many public ballots that allowed the right-wing senatorial majority to systematically reject their amendments.

"We made a lot of proposals (...) We are in a total disarray," said Marie-Pierre de la Gontrie (PS). "You will take responsibility for this sloppy parliamentary work, which started so well in the Assembly."

"It is the absentees who reject the amendments", "we are not there to set the scene," then explained Laurence Rossignol (PS) to AFP, denouncing the "small kitchens" between Republicans and the government.

The remainder of the text was then examined at no charge.

During the general discussion, the PS had questioned the custody of the Seals Nicole Belloubet on the calendar of the examination of this text, whereas are awaited for November 25th the conclusions of the Grenelle on the domestic violence.

The minister stressed that the proposed law deserved to be adopted "as soon as possible", even if the conclusions of the Grenelle could require "another piece of legislation".

The minister reaffirmed her determination "to fight against these acts which, by bruising women every day, hurt society as a whole".

This bill "provides concrete answers" to women victims of domestic violence, said the rapporteur Marie Mercier (LR), while stressing that "violence is to fight from an early age, through education, by support to parenthood.

"For too long society has denied the reality of violence within the family," said the chairman of the group Independents Claude Malhuret, for whom "fear, shame and guilt must definitely change sides."

Among the amendments made to the text, the senators notably provided for "an evaluation device" of the anti-approximation bracelet, renamed "mobile electronic anti-referral device", before its perpetuation.

This system, which the government wants to put in place in early 2020, makes it possible to geolocate and keep away spouses and violent ex-spouses by triggering a signal, with a remoteness perimeter set by a judge.

The president of the women's rights delegation Annick Billon (centrist) regretted "a relatively sad end of session", while she had started "in a kind of momentum and great cohesion".

© 2019 AFP