A far-right French mayor has introduced a night-time curfew for children under the age of 13 in a bid to curb alleged youth violence. The issue has become a prominent political topic in France. The government last week ordered a similar measure in one of France's overseas territories. FRANCE 24's Solange Mougin tells us more.
This Entre Nous aired on Paris Direct, April 25, 2024. A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
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This Entre Nous aired on Paris Direct, April 25, 2024. A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 We stay in France for a hot-button issue here, the question of whether or not to put curfews in place for young people.
00:07 Politicians and social commentators are going at each other over this question.
00:14 Solange Mougin has more on what some towns have decided to do in the name of ensuring that teens and children are not out in the streets at night,
00:23 and why the move is highly controversial.
00:29 It's a measure that's gaining traction.
00:32 Nighttime curfews for minors as a means to allegedly curb youth violence.
00:37 The first of this most recent spate of curfews began when Interior Minister GĂ©rald Darmanin announced on a visit to the French territory of Guadeloupe
00:44 that a point-de-pied curfew for those under 18 would begin April 22nd.
00:48 The measure, the government says, is an attempt to curb rising violence.
00:54 For police officers, the week began with ID checks and phone calls home to parents.
00:59 Yes, hello, it's the police. Just to check, can you confirm your daughter's age and her date of birth?
01:06 In mainland France, the southeastern city of BĂ©ziers soon followed suit.
01:12 On Tuesday, its far-right mayor, Robert MĂ©nard, decreed a curfew for those under the age of 13,
01:17 from 11 at night until 6 in the morning in three different areas, and this until September 30th.
01:23 The decree also states that parents could be held penally responsible if their children break the rules.
01:28 On MĂ©nard's heels, the conservative mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, said he too wants a curfew starting next month.
01:36 Today we have parents who have thrown in the towel. They aren't taking responsibility.
01:42 Naturally, as we take this measure, we will also ensure that the parents are held accountable.
01:50 In the past, similar decrees have been met with judicial pushback and with protests,
01:55 like the one against the BĂ©ziers mayor on Tuesday.
01:58 Critics say that these measures do little to curb violence,
02:01 which only a small fraction of stems from those under the age of 13.
02:06 And joining me on set is journalist Solange Mougin. Thank you so much for joining us, Solange.
02:12 These youth curfews target minors, but their parents as well.
02:17 To what extent are French children and teens creating violence and problems in public spaces?
02:24 For somebody just discovering this theme, it seems quite extreme.
02:29 Well, the French Interior Ministry actually has figures on this.
02:33 Earlier this year, they published a snapshot of sorts about delinquency and violence in France,
02:39 and they found that those under the age of 13 are just 2 percent of violent acts towards others,
02:45 and they're just 1 percent of highly violent crimes.
02:48 Comparatively, 44 percent of thefts with violence, for example,
02:52 well, they were committed by people between the ages of 18 and 29 years of age.
02:56 So statistically speaking, it isn't the very young that are creating this increase of street violence
03:02 in the places where it is occurring.
03:05 Which brings us to why, then, are these curfews being rolled out?
03:10 And this is where there are societal and political elements at play.
03:14 First, curfews and the use of them have long existed.
03:18 They've been on the law books since the Algerian War.
03:21 They were used, as we all remember, during COVID and more recently in certain towns
03:28 after the murder or death of Nael, the young man who was shot by police officers.
03:35 So to a degree, they have become less shocking for certain mayors to roll out.
03:41 But it is not a widespread group of mayors that are putting these decrees in place.
03:46 It's often mayors that are on the far right with the European elections coming up.
03:50 Some French people in BĂ©ziers, for example, well, they feel that there is political stature going on,
03:56 whereas others, they're actually quite pleased about the curfews.
04:00 I think the curfew is a good idea. We need to limit the number of teenagers in the street.
04:07 I think it's a measure that comes again as a punishment.
04:11 Or instead of asking about the cause, why teens can be outside without anyone looking after them,
04:15 use it to turn to violence to express their feelings of being rejected.
04:19 Instead of that, we only talk about punishments and not solutions or how to help them.
04:24 It's like wielding a stick against them.
04:26 Now, these curfew decrees, they still need to hold up into the courts.
04:30 In 2018 in France, its high court actually struck down the BĂ©ziers mayor's previous curfew
04:37 because it found no clear and particular danger could be proven.
04:42 Now, this is also why the age of 13 is the cutoff of most of these decrees,
04:47 save for Guadeloupe where the cutoff is 18 and where violence has been growing in France.
04:54 13 is legally l'Ăąge de discernement or the age of discernment,
04:58 the age where a judge considers that a youth can fully differentiate between right and wrong.
05:03 So putting the curfew for those under the age of 13 serves several purposes.
05:08 It means that the decree could hold up better against legal pushbacks.
05:11 It allows mayors, who are often far-right ones but not always,
05:15 to be able to say that they're taking security measures and protecting children,
05:19 even if statistically the violence isn't often coming from them.
05:25 And finally, it creates a media buzz just before these EU elections.
05:30 Let's talk about the psychological and societal aspect of these curfews.
05:35 Does France have an unruly youth problem?
05:38 And I must admit, this strikes me as being, we're talking about the far right,
05:43 but there's also the issue of immigration, immigrant communities
05:47 that are highly targeted as well by these kinds of curfews.
05:51 I mean, let's not forget there is a racial aspect to this too, very often.
05:54 And that is why many of these decrees are coming from far right.
05:58 Critics say one of the reasons it's coming from really far right people is targeting.
06:03 Critics say that that is one of the sources.
06:06 But when it comes to youth and how French youth are doing,
06:09 well, many people in France have been asking this question
06:12 after a number of highly mediatized fights and crimes involving children and teens.
06:16 It also comes as France's education system is going through a crisis,
06:20 with many teachers and parents as well complaining about shifts in authority,
06:25 also not enough means to help unruly kids and to help kids in general.
06:29 There are also concerns about spiking levels of depression among French youths and teens.
06:35 A recent study showed that one in five has been depressed at some point.
06:40 That's double the 2017 levels.
06:43 Now, for this psychologist who spoke to French media,
06:46 such curfews may actually not help them.
06:50 What are they going to do?
06:52 They're going to go outside and play cowboys and Indians.
06:55 Very quickly it's going to get everyone riled up.
06:58 A sanction only has value if the teen understands the reason.
07:03 If it falls on him suddenly and violently, then most of the time it will be a power struggle.
07:09 Punishments should not be power struggles.
07:11 They need to be understood, which takes time.
07:15 Needless to say, the question of curfews is a hot-button issue right now in France,
07:19 as is how French kids and teens are really doing,
07:23 especially in today's age of screens and social media.
07:27 Thank you so much, Solange Mougin,
07:29 with that insight on what is shaking French public opinion.