In France, Senator Joël Guerriau is indicted for “administration of a substance to commit rape or sexual assault”. this affair rekindles the debate on sexual and gender-based violence in politics. Joël Guerriau is suspected of having put ecstasy in the drink of his colleague MP Sandrine Josso a week ago. Some MPs are calling for changing the law by imposing automatic sanctions.
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The rebel Adrien Quatennensthe macronist Damien Abadthe green MP Julien Bayou : MPs are now used to suspicions of sexual and gender-based violence targeting parliamentarians. The socialist Christine Pires Beaune calls for “ an automatic procedure for withdrawing from all his functions linked to his mandate as senator, pending a judgment. »
Same story in the ranks of environmentalists. MP Sandrine Rousseau, very active on these issues, goes even further: “ There, I think we need a disciplinary sanction by the Senate and we urgently need to change the law so that there can be a penalty of ineligibility immediately. »
Have a “real public policy to combat this violence”
Following the Quatennens affair, the majority had notably tabled a text to create an automatic penalty of ineligibility in the event of domestic violence. But the bill was rejected by the National Assembly. One more missed opportunity, according to Fiona Texeire, co-founder of the Observatory of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: “ If we do nothing to get to the root of the problem and only deal with it piecemeal, trying to minimize the damage each time, we will not have a comprehensive treatment of this issue. We will not have a real public policy to combat this violence. »
Without any legal possibility of forcing him to do so, the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, calls Joël Guerriau “ to resign from office “. But the senator has made it known that he wishes to continue his mandate.
Read alsoFrance: senator Joël Guerriau, suspected of having drugged a deputy, suspended by his party and his group