Medical proof of violence stored in case of legal proceedings

Proof of aggression, in particular domestic violence, will be stored at a special unit in Luxembourg for 10 years in case evidence is needed for future legal proceedings.

It comes after a draft law was unanimously passed in parliament on Wednesday.

After medical examinations are carried out to confirm a victim's injuries, the doctor's notes will be archived. The unit will be set up at the Laboratoire National de Sante (LNS).

According to figures released by Luxembourg police earlier this year, officers were called out to 749 cases of domestic violence in 2016 – the equivalent of twice a day on average.

While this represents an annual decrease for the second year running, the most common type of violence was within couples. But officers are also called out to violence between housemates, siblings as well as parents and children, with both parties falling victim.

The new law was put forward by the Greens MP Josée Lorsché.

(Heledd Pritchard, heledd.pritchard@wort.lu, +352 49 93 459)