Rights - Women, Children, Disability, LGBT, Religion
- Updated : 26/03/2022
France is a signatory of treaties to protect the rights of children and women.
France is a signatory of treaties for the persons with disabilities.
Important free phone numbers
Violence
- Domestic violence is an offence or a crime in France.
- It is prohibited to give corporal punishment (spankings or slapping). Doing it can bring you to justice.
- Each “departement” (96 in France) has a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of women and children in danger of abuse. If needed they help them find temporary shelter or foster-care family or institutions (ASE).
Prostitution - Human Trafficking
- The french law prohibits paying the services of a prostitute. It results in fines if found.
- The fact to entice or make profit from prostitution is prohibited as well. It often results in severe prison sentences.
- Human Trafficking is severely punished.
- If you find yourself in a prostitution situation, there is help with specialized non-profit organizations.
- The most famous is "le nid".
Contraception and abortion
- Contraception is authorized in France.
- Abortion is authorized in France.
- Emergency hormonal contraception “pillule du lendemain” can be delivered by PHARMACIE without doctor prescription or family planning centers in the 5 days following a sexual act. It is anonymous and free for minors.
- Abortion with medication is allowed until the end of the 7th week-ends
- Surgery abortion is possible until the end of the 14th week.
- For more information on contraception and abortion, you can meet anonymously the local family planning center
Use of condoms, AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases
- The use of condoms is highly encouraged to protect from AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Tests for AIDS and other sexually transmittes diseases are anonymous and free. More information on where to test.
LGBT rights
- Discrimination against LGBT is prohibited.
- Assault of LGBT members can result in severe prison. An attack based on LGBT slurs increases prison time.
- LGBT are allowed to marry and adopt children.
Surrogate mother
Disability
- Children have a right to education even if they have a disability. There have been very recent court decisions on this problem and new laws have been enacted.
- Most children with disabilities go to regular school. There is an support worker paid by the government helping your child to attend school
- The situation is more difficult for children and adults with severe disabilities as there are waiting lists for institutions.
- Unemployment is high in adults with disabilities.
- Permanent residents and french citizen with disabilities have access to disability allowance and services.
- Currently there is no information on the status of Ukranian refugees with disabilities.
- Disability allowances and services requests are handled at the local level by “CAF” and “MDPH”.
Protection against child neglect
- RESTO DU COEUR will help you to feed your baby and have diapers. They are organizing “RESTO BEBE DU COEUR”. If not available, contact the local CCAS for help.
- France have centers to advice parents to prevent the neglect of babies. These centers are “Protection maternelle Infantile” (PMI).
- They may require you to go there for mandatory visits and surveillance by their services.
- If you have children with disabilities, we advise you get good information from non-profits specialized in the disability of your child. There is a bias for foster care institutions in some regions.
Foster care institutions
- Orphanages are managed by the “Aide Sociale à l'Enfance” in each “Département”. There are a lot of criticism of this system.
- Foster care exists and adoption as well.
- Whenever in such situation where kids must be separated from parents, a visit right for parents and grandparents is allowed.
- An alternative to the governement run institutions is small houses managed by the SOS VILLAGE ENFANCE non-profit organization.