Vote in the National Assembly

The National Assembly adopted the "intégrale" bill against sexual and sexist violence on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, with 503 votes in favour and none against. The text targets violence against women and children across the whole chain, from detection to repair, and it came out of six days of debate in the chamber. LFI deputies abstained, objecting in particular to the removal of measures that protected foreign women. Eight political groups, from the communists to the Republicans, backed the bill. During the debates it grew from 69 articles to more than 110.

Investigations and specialised courts

The bill sets a minimum package of investigative steps, which must be carried out within one year. It covers hearings of the victim and of the suspect, preservation of evidence and the search for other victims, so that complaints do not lapse without follow-up. Specialised units are to be created within the judicial police. Deputies also voted for a specialised justice system for sexist, sexual and intrafamilial violence, a reform inspired by the Spanish model. For offences, each tribunal would have two specialised judges and a specialised prosecutor. Rapes will still be tried by criminal courts made up solely of professional judges, while a specialised assize court would hear aggravated rapes punishable by 20 years or more, a category the article illustrates with the Mazan and Le Scouarnec cases.

Schools, incest and cousins

The text creates a specific offence of incest in the Penal Code, whereas until now incest mainly counted as an aggravating circumstance of rape. The definition is widened to first cousins, and marriage between first cousins would be banned. On detection, the bill provides for an annual interview for every pupil from nursery school to the final year of secondary school. Deputies restored its compulsory character in the chamber, but only from 2032. Until then, four compulsory interviews would be spread across schooling. The bill also sets a mandatory procedure for handling cases of sexist and sexual violence at work.

Criticism and funding

The feminist collective NousToutes urged parliamentarians to vote against the bill, calling it empty of immediate and effective prevention measures. The collective argues that it concentrates on the judicial path of victims who file complaints and concerns at most 10% of the population. It also regrets that disabled people, foreign nationals, LGBTQIA+ people and sex workers are left out, and it notes that no real budget is set. Associations in the feminist and child-protection coalition welcomed the vote as a major step while demanding funding that matches the text. France 24 reports that the financing question now becomes the central issue, as the 2027 budget debate opened in the chamber on Tuesday.

Next steps

The bill now goes to the Senate, which will debate it early in 2027. Its backers hope for definitive adoption before the presidential election. Speaking on LCI, National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet praised the cooperation with associations.

“Perhaps it is not perfect, but we came together with the associations to move forward collectively.”

Rapporteur Céline Thiébault-Martinez, a Socialist, regretted the deletion of articles protecting foreign women, whom she described as among the most vulnerable, yet called the text a "very fine" tool against violence toward women and children.