Calls for child protection reforms in wake of schoolgirl Lyhanna's death
Jerome Barella, the main suspect in the killing of 11-year-old Lyhanna at the start of June, had previously been accused of raping other children, but was not questioned by police over these allegations prior to Lyhanna's death.
Child protection advocates have organised what have become weekly demonstrations outside the Justice Ministry, calling for the enacting of a comprehensive new law on gender-based violence. The bill, of 78 measures, was first introduced at the end of 2025 but is yet to be debated.
France questions judicial system after girl's suspected murder Spotlight on France, episode 147
“This is the first time there have been so many people in the street about this, who are shouting that they are fed up. They are fed up not with judges or magistrates, but with the dysfunction in the prevention of violence and the conviction of predators,” said Arnaud Gallais, co-founder of the children's rights group Mouv'Enfants, which has organised demonstrations.
He says the issue is urgent, with a reported 160,000 children a year suffering sexual abuse.
Gallais says his uncle, a priest, raped him when he was a child – and that those around him knew what was happening, but no one said anything.
“Everyone knew – the neighbours, people in my family, at school. I was not going to ask my parents to protect me, because they couldn't. My dad beat me and my mother did not protect me from that. Unfortunately, this is relatively common,” he said.
France has laws that penalise those who fail to report crimes against minors, including their family members, but Gallais says they are not always enforced.
He points out that in Lyhanna's case, people did speak up. Nine months before her death, the mother of another 10-year-old girl filed a complaint accusing Barella of raping her daughter, but he was not brought in for questioning.
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'A short memory'
A government-commissioned administrative inquiry found failings in how that case was handled by the prefecture with jurisdiction. Both the Justice Ministry and Gendarmerie have opened investigations into individual responsibility.
But campaigners say the problem goes beyond individual prosecutors or police investigators and that the system as a whole is unable to effectively investigate child sexual abuse cases.
Gallais believes there is a reluctance, extending to the highest levels of government, to address the scale of the problem. Officials have expressed shock over the Lyhanna case, but he notes that similar failures have happened before.
“They have a short memory,” he says of President Emmanuel Macron and Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin, criticising their apparent surprise at the failures in the Lyhanna case.
He recalls the case of 8-year-old Marina Sabatier, who was abused by her parents for years, despite many warning signs. After her death in 2009 as a result of the abuse, they were convicted to 30 years in prison, but France was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in 2020 for failing to investigate her case.
“They also forget what was said in the report by the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence Against Children," he added.
Gallais served on this commission, called Ciivise, which began work in January 2021, interviewing thousands of victims.
The resulting report criticised a lack of progress in increasing inspections of institutions that care for children, as well as delays and failings in the handling of child sex abuse cases by the justice system. It found that six out of 10 complaints involving sexual violence against minors are dropped without further action and only 3 percent of offenders are convicted.
Only a third of the recommendations it proposed in November 2023 have been implemented.
“I find it deeply contemptuous not to take seriously what has already been reported, and to pretend to be discovering these problems for the first time,” he said. “That complete contempt is what bothers me the most.”
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One of the 'lucky ones'
Supporters say the proposed legislation introduced in the National Assembly last December, currently awaiting debate, would replace the current patchwork approach by coordinating investigations, the justice system, prevention and victim protection.
The proposal is modelled on Spain's landmark 2004 law on gender violence, which supporters say significantly reduced violence against women.
Steffy Alexandrian, who was a victim of sexual abuse as a child and founded an advocacy organisation, Carl, named after her brother, says the system can only be improved if there is a genuine political will to do so – something she hasn't observed in the five years since she founded her group.
Alexandrian was sexually abused by her father. When she went to the police at the age of 13, she says she was listened to and the justice system responded. Her father went on trial and was sentenced to three years in prison.
“I am among the lucky ones,” she says of her experience with the justice system.
However, her father was released after a year, and was still allowed to have contact with his children.
“I spoke out about being raped. But he was convicted only for sexual abuse. He was sentenced to three years, and got out after a year, and when he got out he was allowed to see my brothers," said Alexandrian.
Her brother Carl was also abused, and also told police. But they did not question his father about this, and he retained parental rights. Carl died by suicide in 2021, at the age of 12.
Alexandrian says the system's failures are partly due to a chronic lack of resources. Prosecutor representatives have pointed to France's average of three prosecutors per 100,000 residents, compared to a European average of 11.
She adds, however, that money is not the only issue – a broader cultural shift is needed.
“For a long time there has been the attitude, which comes with a culture of trying to keep families together, that it's OK if Dad hits Mum, he's still a good father, he's still a good citizen. It's OK if he is not investigated. This is reality today."
Listen to more on this subject on the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 147.