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A child abuse scandal is roiling the capital of France this year. <\/p>\n
This month, a court in Paris handed down<\/a> an 18-month suspended sentence to a 25-year-old afterschool worker for sexually assaulting a kindergarten girl under his care. The decision marked the first sentencing of a city worker in multiple allegations of abuse against children by non-teaching staff at schools and leisure centers in Paris in recent months.<\/p>\n Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said<\/a> that by mid-May, approximately 84 kindergartens, 20 primary schools, and 10 daycares faced abuse investigations. The city\u2019s mayor, Emmanuel Gr\u00e9goire, said<\/a> Paris has already suspended 78 after-school program aides, including 31 suspected of child sexual abuse. <\/p>\n In the July 10 sentencing, the judges said the kindergartner credibly accused the defendant of assaulting her at a leisure center in Paris between October 2023 and July 2025. The court also banned the defendant from ever working with children. The worker denied the charges.<\/p>\n In a separate court case this month, judges found a 36-year-old guilty of harassing female co-workers but acquitted him of sexual assault<\/a> against nine preschoolers.<\/p>\n As the systemic nature of the problem has become evident, parent-led advocacy groups are calling for more long-term solutions\u2014and French officials are proposing safety changes.<\/p>\n In France, attendance in public school is mandatory beginning at age 3. Schools also implement time blocks including recess and after-school pre-pickup, known in French as p\u00e9riscolaire. The Ministry of National Education oversees teacher employment, while city authorities manage the role of p\u00e9riscolaire. <\/p>\n But child advocates say a lack of funding to properly pay and train aides have compounded the existing problems. France\u2019s Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence Against Children (CIIVISE)<\/a> determined in 2023 that 160,000 children experience sexual violence on a yearly basis in France.<\/p>\n Several advocacy groups have emerged to expose the abuse and fight for change. SOS P\u00e9riscolaire<\/a>, a parent-led group established in 2021, reports on various types of abuse, including physical violence, psychological abuse, and sexual violence, in schools and after-school programs based on the testimonies of parents and professionals who report the cases. It has also received and documented reports from parents whose cases have not advanced beyond the municipal level.<\/p>\n Anne, co-founder of the collective, emphasized that SOS P\u00e9riscolaire is calling for change. Parents are often unaware of who their children\u2019s caregivers are within the p\u00e9riscolaire after-school and extracurricular programs. So, she suggests displaying a staff board with photographs to establish identity transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cThe directories [parents] receive usually contain avatars instead of real photographs [of the staff], which can prevent children from identifying abusers when a complaint needs to be filed,\u201d Anne said. (In speaking with the media, she has used only her first name.)<\/p>\n The group also argues that school staff should go through mandatory criminal background checks prior to employment. Advocates hope that over time, parents will gain back any lost trust in the system their children are a part of.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are just collectives of parents trying to change things on a legal level with new laws and talking with people in charge and trying to create new rules on the fields,\u201d Anne said.<\/p>\n MeTooEcole<\/a> is another advocacy group seeking to bring awareness to violence against children in schools. Last November, the group launched an online petition<\/a> calling for reform that has garnered more than 22,700 signatories, and it partners with the Alliance for Lawyers for Human Rights, which provides no-cost legal services to advocacy and human rights protection associations. <\/p>\n Carine Ho and another member started MeTooEcole after learning about instances of abuse at their children\u2019s schools. They realized how large-scale the issue had become after listening to a slew of abuse reports and allegations during a WhatsApp meeting of concerned parents. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was silence, and at this moment, we understood that it was \u2018Me too,\u2019\u201d said the second member, who asked not to be named because she said her child is an abuse victim.<\/p>\n Both SOS P\u00e9riscolaire and MeTooEcole blame the high amount of abuse cases on a systemic staffing problem. The p\u00e9riscolaire position has minimal requirements, but the position\u2019s sporadic hours, low pay, and lack of a long-term contract make it an undesirable and understaffed role.<\/p>\n SOS P\u00e9riscolaire believes real change will happen when the education system enforces vetting processes and strengthens procedures. The group also called on parents to begin communicating better with their kids. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, French lawmakers are reviewing a bill called \u201cSpillebout-Vannier<\/a>,\u201d which seeks to combat systemic child abuse in schools by establishing staff accountability and creating a more effective system for abuse reporting. <\/p>\n Paris Mayor Gr\u00e9goire also pledged<\/a> to address the issue when he began his mayoral term earlier this year. \u201cThe Paris City Council has voted on immediate measures to address the crisis in after-school care,\u201d he said<\/a> in April. \u201cZero tolerance: reporting, suspension, transparency, oversight, enhanced training, school security, and support for victims.\u201d<\/p>\n