French law enforcement agencies have received numerous complaints of child abuse in schools and preschool institutions. Several internal investigations and criminal proceedings are underway against staff responsible for supervising children during extracurricular hours.
Paris police are examining more than 100 reports of abuse and rape of children as young as three, The Guardian reports. According to investigators, the incidents described by complainants may have occurred during lunch breaks, naptime, and after-school activities.
Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccau announced investigations in 84 kindergartens, about 20 primary schools, and around 10 child care centers. Lawyers specify that among the cases under review are allegations of rape of three- and four-year-old children.
Representatives of parent groups said they had been seeking an official response to these reports for years. In their view, weak oversight in the selection and vetting of school staff allowed violations to go unnoticed by supervisory authorities for a long time.
“This is a major scandal,” said lawyer Florian Lastelle, representing three Parisian families. “The state education system is a matter of national pride, but today we cannot say it guarantees children's safety.”
School supervisors are responsible for watching children during lunch breaks, rest time, naptime, and extracurricular activities. Sometimes they spend more time with pupils than teachers. They are hired not by schools or the Ministry of Education, but by municipalities. Often these employees work without special training or professional qualifications, many on an hourly basis.
In France, kindergarten attendance is compulsory from age three, so supervisors interact daily with children aged three to eleven. Parents from different regions claim their children may have been subjected to various forms of physical and psychological violence, improper handling during meals, and sexual acts.
Criminal lawyer Louis Cailliez, representing two Parisian families, filed police reports in February alleging rapes of kindergarten children in 2025. One complaint states that a three-year-old girl was harmed by a school employee in western Paris. Another involves a three-year-old boy who may have been a victim of the same supervisor; the employee had previously been transferred to another school after complaints of physical violence. Cailliez notes that the consequences of the described events have seriously affected the children's physical and psychological condition.
Next week, a trial will begin in Paris against a school employee accused of sexual violence against five children aged three to five in a kindergarten in the 11th arrondissement. Next month, a verdict is expected in another case: a 47-year-old worker is accused of similar acts against nine ten-year-old girls.
New Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced a €20 million program to address “serious violations” in the school supervision system. He said it would be a mistake to consider such cases isolated — they may indicate a systemic problem and a “culture of silence.” From January to April, Paris authorities suspended 78 school employees, including 31 under investigation for suspected sexual crimes.
Parent organizations, particularly the collective SOS Périscolaire, which has been collecting testimonies for five years, insist on the national scope of the problem. “This is a systemic problem affecting all of France. We see failures not only at the city level but also at the state level,” said one of the organization's founders.
Representatives of the #MeTooEcole movement noted that French society is beginning to realize that school is not an absolutely safe space. Children face various forms of violence — from verbal and physical to sexualized.
Source: kun.uz