France grants reparations to children uprooted from Réunion Island
The French parliament gave final approval to the bill on Tuesday after a unanimous vote in the Senate, following an earlier vote in the National Assembly.
The legislation creates a commission to preserve the memory of the scandal, establishes a national day of tribute on 18 February and gives victims and their descendants the right to apply for a lump-sum payment from a state fund.
Lawmakers said the measure recognises the state's responsibility in a scandal that affected 2,015 minors from Réunion Island, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean.
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Childhoods uprooted
Between 1962 and 1984, children were moved from Réunion to 83 mainland French departments, mainly rural areas.
The policy was officially intended to respond to the island's population doubling in 30 years and to help repopulate rural regions. The department of Creuse received the largest number of children, giving rise to the nickname "Children of the Creuse".
Many of the children had been placed in state care before being transferred.
The policy meant childhoods cut short overnight, sudden changes to civil status records and, in some cases, mistreatment and humiliation that caused deep trauma.
"Thousands of lives were turned upside down by exile, by family separation, by the brutal break with a land, a language and a lineage," Overseas Territories Minister Naïma Moutchou said.
The law is "a measure of justice and dignity" that addresses the "darker parts" of French history, she added.
The legislation was introduced by Réunion lawmaker Karine Lebon and was adopted in the presence of survivors and associations representing them.
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Families left behind
The impact extended beyond the children themselves.
"Parents waited in vain for the return of their children and families were marked forever by silence, misunderstanding and sometimes shame," said Audrey Bélim, a senator from Réunion.
One of the children affected was Marie-Germaine Périgogne, now president of the Federation of Uprooted Children from France's Overseas Departments and Regions.
Adopted in 1969 after living with a foster family and separated from her brothers and sisters, she spent years believing her name was Valérie and that she had been born in Creuse.
Her true origins only came to light when she discovered an identity document at the age of 16. Recovering her original name required a lengthy administrative battle.
In 2017, Emmanuel Macron described the policy as a "mistake" that had "worsened the distress" of the children transferred from Réunion Island.
Lawmakers said some of those affected may still be unaware of their origins.
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Memory and repair
The new law gives victims and their descendants the right to apply for a lump-sum payment funded by the state.
The legislation follows laws passed in 2005 for people repatriated from North Africa and in 2022 for Harkis, which included similar recognition and compensation measures.
"A new memorial milestone on the long road to rebuilding for the children transferred from Réunion," senator Viviane Malet said.
(with newswires)