Child sexual abuse commission urges France to speed up reforms
The review, seen by RFI, found that two thirds of the 82 recommendations issued by Ciivise in November 2023 to fight child sexual abuse were not "fully effective".
They include measures to increase resources for social services and school health services, which help identify cases of sexual abuse. The commission also pointed to a lack of progress in increasing inspections of institutions that care for children.
The overall picture remains "mixed despite real progress", Denis Roth-Fichet, the commission's secretary-general, told French news agency AFP on Monday.
Despite what the commission described as government willingness to act, "it has to go up a gear", Roth-Fichet said.
The commission believes the government remains behind schedule in several areas, particularly in the way cases are handled by the courts.
The justice system is "the weak point" of France's policy against sexual violence involving children, Roth-Fichet said.
Inadequate protection
Six out of 10 complaints involving sexual violence against minors are dropped without further action and only 3 percent of offenders are convicted.
"This major gap between the scale of the violence and the weakness of the criminal, or even civil, response is intolerable and points to a systemic dysfunction in our judicial system," the commission said.
The murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna – is a "symbol of the system's failings", Roth-Fichet said, referring to a recent case which has stirred up anger and public protests.
The chief suspect in the case was never summoned despite several complaints and reports linked to sexual violence against minors.
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"It illustrates the persistent shortcomings in identifying situations of risk, coordination between institutions, the judicial protection of children and taking children's voices into account."
The commission also pointed to shortcomings in the protection of victims, who are still too often exposed to their abusers.
In some cases, offences are too old to prosecute. The commission is calling such statute of limitations to be lifted for crimes against minors.
The commission also said compensation and support for victims should be improved, with psychological care and legal fees funded by the state.
After-school child abuse
Ciivise's recommendations come at a time when Paris in particular has been rocked by asexual abuse scandal affecting after-school childcare services in Paris.
Paris investigators are looking into allegations that non-teaching staff recruited by the city mistreated or abused children at 84 nurseries and around 20 primary schools.
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The city council has announced it will spend €20 million to tackle the issue and suspended dozens of staff.
Established in 2021 in the wake of the revelations of incest in Camille Kouchner's book La Familia Grande, Ciivise's findings revealed that one in ten children in France is affected by sexual abuse.