The French government are planning to bring in a law banning 'psychological violence'
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8440199.stm

I've got to say I'm not sure about this one. Obviously one partner shouldn't consistently denigrate the other but given that most healthy relationships have arguments where do you draw the line?

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the idea are I suspect most of the people who will be prosecuted are blokes. Personally I think I'm being very fair, politically correct and slightly untruthful by saying both sexes are equally good at 'psychological violence' *flinches and cowers in a corner*

What do you think?

Incidentally, for a British take on this could I refer you to own former home secretary and anti-domestic violence campaigner Jacqui Smith on how she treated her husband (also her employee) when he got caught looking at some fairly vanilla porn: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7970492.stm Would it be acceptable for a male politician to say the same about his wife?

I'm genuinely intrigued to hear your thoughts.
( ElParrot, Tue 5 Jan 2010, 1:18, 6 replies)

.
I think the law proposed to be brought in is NOT what the article says, but actually a law proposed to say (in its simplest form) "if you fuck your husband or wife up so much that they kill themselves, you are responsible". I base my assertion of this on the case of R v Dhaliwal - the husband was abusive, the wife killed herself. If the prosecution could prove one specific instance of psychological abuse that led to the suicide then the defendant would have committed (what is known in the biz as) s.18 OAPA 1861 assault and therefore would be held guilty of Unlawful Act Manslaughter. However in this case, it was merely a case of the straw that broke the camel's back, and he walked. LOTS of people have expressed interest in someone causing psychological damage over a long period becoming liable for manslaughter, especially after this case - which is what I suppose the article stems from.

By the way - you can't blame the fact that men won't speak out against domestic violence to protest governments trying to prevent it. That's just silly.
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Tue 5 Jan 2010, 2:08, closed)

Aren't they bringing that law into the UK as well?
Or chatting about it?
( Methylene Blue - electrohead, Tue 5 Jan 2010, 7:53, closed)

Ah that actually sounds a pretty sensible idea.
Although as Galactic Yeti says below I guess it will still be very hard to prove.
( ElParrot, Tue 5 Jan 2010, 20:56, closed)

It's a very sound idea in principle.
Making out the offence is going to be the tough bit, since in the vast majority of cases it's going to be one spouse's word against the other's. Even calling in experts to attest that the plaintiff has suffered psychological damage is not going to be enough to establish a causal link between that damage and the conduct of the defendant.
( .Yeti. El amor en los tiempos del cólera, Tue 5 Jan 2010, 6:59, closed)

Irony
Correct me if I am wrong or perhaps not taking this seriously enough but the French banning 'psychological violence' is a little bit like Britain outlawing getting tanked up in cheap foreign seaside resorts isn't it. I thought that mentally abusing others was mandatorily taught in all petit ecoles.
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Tue 5 Jan 2010, 16:40, closed)

"If you loved me you would"

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 5 Jan 2010, 16:58, closed)