France does not protect its children enough: the severe report alarming the education system

A severe report by the French Senate committee reveals systemic failures in protecting children in extracurricular settings, with reports of violence in 73 departments. The most serious finding: the lack of a monitoring mechanism for workers moving between institutions, allowing abusers to continue working with children. In Paris, 195 instructors have been suspended this year, 74 of them on suspicion of sexual violence. The committee formulated 25 recommendations to address the shortcomings.

A severe report by the French Senate committee, which operated for months with the powers of a commission of inquiry, reveals serious systemic failures in protecting children in extracurricular settings. The report states that reports of psychological, physical, or sexual violence were received in 73 departments in France, and that 'it is no longer possible to treat these cases as isolated incidents.' The most serious finding concerns the lack of a monitoring mechanism for instructors and staff moving between institutions, which could allow abusers to 'move from one employer to another.' However, the report does not state that authorities knowingly transferred sex offenders between institutions. In Paris alone, 195 instructors have been suspended since the beginning of the year, 74 of them on suspicion of sexual violence against minors, and 235 criminal investigations have been opened. The committee formulated 25 recommendations, including stricter background checks, mandatory information transfer upon opening an investigation, and establishing a criminal offense for failing to report a serious incident. Minister Overn announced she would submit some of the recommendations as amendments to a child protection bill by October 27, saying: 'The children cannot wait, and neither can we.' According to her, the central failure is that the system only acts after harm occurs: 'Our system is far too reactive, it is not preventive.'