法国今年将实施一部新法，已婚夫妻或者同居伴侣之间如果有恶语相向等“心理暴力”行为将会受到法律制裁。对于伴侣的外貌反复污辱评价、诬陷伴侣不忠以及暴力威胁等行为均在该法规定的罪名之列。据悉，这部法律是由法国总理提议颁布的，意在保护那些深受家庭暴力之苦的女性，当然，家庭中受到妻子言辞辱骂的男性也可以利用这部法律来保护自己。不过，有专家却表示，这部法律的出台只是赚取噱头，没有可能实施，而且政府也不应该干涉家庭内部争端，这样只会让警察和法院的工作量骤增。

　　Married couples could be arrested andcharged for insulting each other under a new law in France banning'psychological violence'。

　　The proposed legislation would punish partners who 'overstep the mark' during verbal spats in the home。

　　The law would apply to husbands and wives, as well as cohabiting couples。

　　It is expected to cover every kind ofslur from repeated rude remarks about a partner's appearance, falseallegations of infidelity and threats of physical violence。

　　Police are being urged to issue acaution in the first instance of a reported crime, but repeat offenderscould face a fine, electronic tagging or jail。

　　The law, being put forward by theprime minister, Francois Fillon, is aimed at protecting women who arethe main victims of abuse in the home。

　　But men would also have the right to report their wives for verbal abuse。

　　Mr Fillon said: "It's an importantmove forward as the creation of this offence will let us tackle themost insidious situations, the ones that leave no physical scars butwhich still injure the victims inside."

　　But some experts have called the law agimmick that will be impossible to enforce, and that the governmentshould not interfere in non-violent domestic squabbles。

　　Anne Giraud, a psychologist, said:"Squabbling couples will allege all kinds of things about each other,but they won't necessarily be true。

　　"The police are likely to be calledout more and more when this law comes into force this year, but oftenit will be a case of one person's word against the other。

　　"Psychological violence is a very serious matter, but punishing it through the courts is a very different matter altogether."

　　Pierre Bonnet, a sociologist, added:"Next they will be making rudeness a crime, and the police and courtswill be overrun with work."

　　In 2008, 157 French women and sevenFrench men were killed by their spouses or partners, with hundreds moreinjured in outbursts of domestic violence. Mr Fillon said the new lawhad the support of the majority of the government and could come intoforce within six months。