Alarm over alleged abuse in French schools and nurseries
Hundreds of alleged cases of physical and sexual assault against children in French nurseries and elementary schools have revealed flaws in the system, experts say
Hundreds of alleged cases of physical and sexual assault against children in French nurseries and elementary schools have revealed flaws in the system, experts say. They argue that reforms are urgently needed. A series of alleged cases of sexual and physical assault is shining a light on fundamental problems in France's nursery and junior school system. Politicians have promised reform — but experts say their plans don't go far enough. Ever since April 8, 2026, Charlotte, who doesn't want her real name revealed to protect her son's identity, feels like she's cut off from her emotions. It's the only way she can cope, she says. That day, her 4-year-old son told her that a teaching assistant, called Ryan, had sexually assaulted him. At his elementary school Gustave Bienvetu in the Parisian suburb of Colombes. "At first, I thought I had misunderstood — it seemed unimaginable that this should happen to my son. When it finally sunk in, it felt like the heavens were falling down on me," she told DW. Charlotte and her husband alerted the school and town hall to the events. The teaching assistant was almost instantly suspended. Are authorities reacting too slowly? But other measures weren't put in place swiftly enough, Charlotte said. "According to the law, the mayor's office should have immediately alerted the prosecutor but it only did so two weeks later," she said, adding that other families at the school should have also been informed quickly. "When this didn't happen, we pressed charges for sexual assault and told other parents about what had occurred," Charlotte said. Critics warn that France's teaching assistant sector has become a playground for predators.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance Two other families lodged complaints against Ryan: one for exhibitionism, as their son allegedly witnessed the scene with Charlotte's son. A second child also reported being sexually assaulted by the teaching assistant. The town hall has refuted Charlotte's allegations. "The prosecutor was alerted after an incompressible time span needed for the drafting of a report that had to be written in a just and precise manner," the mayor's office wrote in an email to DW, adding that support was provided to the affected families. But Anne, the co-founder of SOS Periscolaires, a collective that's taking stock of reports of physical and sexual molestation of children in nurseries and junior schools, said authorities across France are often slow to react. Her public sector job prohibits her from revealing her last name. "It's a recurring pattern that we've seen in many of the more than 500 cases of sexual or physical violence we've registered since our foundation in 2021," she told DW. Deep-seated problems in the system Anne thinks France's teaching assistant sector has become a playground for predators, as it's very easy to get employed there. "Non-teaching staff are managed by the town hall or an external company. In the latter case, which we think makes up about 40%, playground assistants don't need to be trained and their criminal background doesn't have to be checked," she explained. She added that pay was so low, it was difficult to attract qualified personnel. 'We should create a dedicated safe space in each institution where children can speak out,' said Bocquet Image: Maison de courcelles Jean-Michel Bocquet, a lecturer for educational science at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord and the Catholic University of Paris, said things were hardly better when the town hall was in charge.
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