Dieppe court: in the event of domestic violence, the child must also be protected

“Domestic violence has an impact on the whole family and can create trauma in the child”, underlines the public prosecutor in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime, Etienne Thieffry.

Thus, the Les Nids foundation, which operates in the Dieppe district, has thought about an assessment of the right of parenthood. An agreement has just been signed this Wednesday, June 23, 2021 with the Dieppe court for one year.

The child's brain development can be affected

Numerous cases of domestic violence, tried in correctional courts, show how the joint responsibility of children can lead to situations of control by one of both parents on the rest of the family.

"The risk of reproduction of a parental pattern is facilitated", notes the prosecutor. Children's brain development can also be affected.

“From the start of the criminal procedure, things can be put in place, decisions are made,” explains Marie-Pierre Petit, the director of Les Nids in Dieppe and around. The place of the child is essential because he himself is the bearer of a traumatic experience.

Thus, the foundation proposes to provide two psychologists to carry out a family expertise and recommend the measures to be taken.

A neutral and safe place

The Les Nids foundation has various services including a meeting space or a relay space, in Dieppe. Enough to allow the child to see his father or mother in a neutral and safe place, accompanied by specialized educators. But also to exchange children without the parents meeting physically. "The sharing of information can be very badly experienced by the victim parent", continues the public prosecutor.

He thinks of a recent case where the father, tried for domestic violence, sent messages to his daughter, intended in reality for his ex-wife.

And since 2019, the court, in the case of a domestic violence case, can modify the right of parenthood, on a temporary basis, with the family court judge or the children's judge.

This decision will therefore be based on the combined expertise of two psychologists, Elise Emely and Alexandre Ledrait. The father, the mother and the child will be listened to, each individually and then as a family.

This follow-up lasts about six months in order to find a compromise. It is a question of identifying the interactions between them, the place they occupy, the role of each member: what is the place of the child in family violence.

This specific protocol is in the experimental phase for one year. It takes effect today, Wednesday June 23, 2021, and could be made permanent if funding allows.

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