France’s Top Court Rejects Parental ‘Right of Correction’

Overview

• The Cour de cassation quashed the April 18, 2024 acquittal issued by the Metz appeals court and sent the case to the Nancy appeals court for a new judgment.
• The court held that no parental right of correction exists in French law, in international texts, or in its modern jurisprudence.
• The case concerns Yves Milla, who was convicted in 2023 in Thionville for repeated violence against his two minor sons and received an 18‑month suspended sentence with loss of parental authority.
• The Metz court had treated the acts as proportionate and educational, a rationale the high court said cannot excuse violence against a child.
• Child‑protection officials and groups welcomed the decision as reinforcing the 2019 law requiring parental authority without physical or psychological violence, noting surveys show such practices remain widespread.