Overview of Human Rights in France

France is a multiparty constitutional democracy. The government works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens and enjoys a generally good record of human rights. However, there were a few abuses that were reported recently.      

Complaints of police brutality and abuse were on the rise in the past years. Racially motivated violence against Muslims and Jewish peoples occurred in most parts of France, while attacks against North African immigrants were high in number in Corsica.

Prisoners and international monitors alike complain about poor conditions and overcrowding in prisons. Lengthy pre-trial detention and protracted trial proceedings were also issues that rose to the forefront recently.

Frequent occurrence of child abuse and trafficking in persons are also concerns to both the government of France and the international community.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank: 16th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.