French courts to place GPS trackers on domestic violence abusers

The novel coronavirus led to the world locked up in their houses, which also led to an increase in the number of domestic violence cases across the globe.

Keeping the threat in mind, French judges are now being given the option ofrequiring electronic tracking ankle bracelets for domestic violence offenders.

The decision has been announced by the government as the number of womenkilled by current or former partners increased at an alarming rate, especially during the lockdown.

The government bulletin said the option will be made available to the judges from Friday. The FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron also announced an increased and more inclusive training of police officers and has vowed to create nearly 1,000 new places in the emergency shelters that will provide aid to the domestic violence victims.

The device will help alert women and the local police if any abuser gets close tothe victim.

While some human rights activists protested against the device claiming it to be an inhumane treatment, advocates voting for the device pointed out that nearly146 women were killed in domestic violence cases last year, up from 121 in 2018.Overall, the government estimates that more than 200,000 women are victims of marital violence each year, with many cases never reported.

The ankle bracelet will be provided to courts in five cities int he starting, but will be made available to all courts across the country by the end of the year.

Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti will present the new measure at a courthouse in the Paris suburb of Pontoise on Thursday.