Domestic abusers who drive their partners to kill themselves could be hit with a 20-year jail sentence in France.

At least 217 women killed themselves in the country last year as a direct consequence of the abuse their partners forced them to endure, a new government report has found.

The French government has drawn a direct link between such suicides and their partner’s mistreatment and is contemplating bringing in legislation which punishes abusive partners who push women to suicide.

The measures come in the context of growing outrage over femicides, defined as the gender-motivated killing of women, in France.

Some 121 women were murdered by current or ex-partners last year, according to the country’s interior ministry.

Inside a Women's Refuge Show all 34 1 /34 Inside a Women's Refuge Inside a Women's Refuge A resident at the refuge looks out into the garden and children's outdoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Mothers try to make the rooms as homely as possible for their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A mother who is visiting her two daughters who are residents at the refuge after fleeing from domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Children's books inside the play area of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The messages on the butterflies are written by women who have stayed at Reigate and Banstead Women's Aid (RBWA) Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Residents at the refuge support and empower each other Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, a survivor of domestic abuse and CEO of RBWA Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women send a message to future residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children who live at the refuge have great fun doing arts and crafts Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge This photograph was taken by one of the children living at the refuge who loved experimenting with the camera Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge 'Living with the Dominator' by Pat Craven is a book about the Freedom Programme. It has been designed to help women affected by domestic abuse Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A woman sits inside the smoking area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Dolls on the windowsill in the children's indoor play room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Having a refuge space can be life-saving for many women and their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Over time, women in the refuge make friends and feel more at home Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms. Women can stay at the refuge for up to six months Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The kitchen is a communal area were women cook and prepare meals Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, CEO of RBWA, in her office Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Messages are seen on colourful butterfly cut-outs Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A children's indoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children spend time in the large garden and playground area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Paintings by ex-residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge These butterflies were made by the children at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge offers clean furnished rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women want to pass on an encouraging message on to future residents of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A staircase leading up to the rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A highchair inside the main living room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge In an outdoor area, one of the rooms is used for counselling and group meetings Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge RBWA provides safe refuge, support and advice for women and children who have experienced domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge has a large garden with playground equipment Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children love spending time in the outdoor play area Angela Christofilou

Campaigners argue this figure has already been exceeded this year. Protesters have descended on the streets on a number of occasions in recent months to call for the government to do more to tackle violence against women.

The newly proposed measure centred on abuse and suicide is tied to a major consultation on domestic violence in the country which continues until 25 November.

The new legislation would see abusive partners of women who kill themselves forced to appear in court where they would face a prison sentence of up to two decades if the suicide was deemed to be related to the abuse they have suffered.

Karen Ingala Smith, who has been tracking the numbers of women killed by men for an annual census on femicide in the UK, applauded the potential changes in France.

She said: “I support these changes because women are both indirectly and directly dying as a result of men’s violence.

“At least one woman is killed every four days on average by a partner or an ex-partner in the UK. But if we want to reduce the harm of men’s violence against women, then we also need to look at suicide as well.

“Research by Refuge, the largest provider of specialist domestic violence services in the UK, found that 83 per cent of their client group felt despairing or hopeless at the point that they moved into services and at least 24 per cent had felt suicidal either then or in the past.

“This highlights the on-going impact of abuse and the need for support resources in the UK.”

“The issue of domestic abuse and suicide is really important and I am very disappointed that it is not included as one of the measures of the domestic abuse bill. What are they thinking?”

The domestic abuse bill, which had its second reading in the British parliament earlier this month, introduces the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse to include economic abuse and controlling and manipulative behaviour that is not physical – as well as including measures which mean perpetrators will no longer be able to directly cross-examine victims in family courts.

Ms Ingala Smith said the issue of suicide was mentioned in her annual femicide census report last year but she did not have the resources to properly look into this issue.

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Across the world, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and to attempt suicide than men, yet the overall suicide rate for men is considerably higher than for women.