Faced with the recent scandals of sexual violence in after-school education in Paris, France must move away from a posture of “reaction to build a culture of protection” based on the rights of children, Unicef France said this Thursday. These cases, which involve facilitators working in Parisian schools, “reveal structural flaws, a lack of coordination and an absence of cross-checking of information between services”, criticized the president of the NGO, Adeline Hazan.
According to her, it is “an entire system which is failing because in France, it only starts after the facts and in reaction to the facts”, instead of it being prevention which takes precedence.
Since the start of 2026, 78 City of Paris agents have been suspended, including 31 for suspicion of sexual violence, figures reflecting a “systemic” nature, according to the new PS mayor Emmanuel Grégoire.
“A culture of trivializing this violence”
“What is unbearable is a culture of trivializing this violence,” said Adeline Hazan during a press conference, recalling that 290,200 minor victims had been recorded in 2025 by the police, a jump of 77% compared to 2016.
In this after-school scandal, from which around two million children in France benefit according to Unicef, “the basic rights of children are not respected”, she insisted. This is why the NGO recommends in particular clarifying and harmonizing reporting procedures, creating an independent administrative authority which controls reception areas, better supporting parents, and above all providing more training to professionals working with children.
“When we give children the opportunity to speak, they do so, but we still need to listen to them and support them,” noted Jodie Soret, head of the advocacy and programs department at Unicef France.
According to the first elements of a survey carried out among children by the NGO, “a third of child victims of violence declare that they do not have a trusted adult” in whom they can confide, she said. However, explained Julie Zerlauth, head of the innovations service for the dissemination of children’s rights at Unicef France, “this loss of confidence in adults, often for fear of a lack of response from them”, indicates a trivialization of the violence suffered by minors.
As well as their impunity, favored by a certain “cult of obedience” which prevails at school but also in the family, she underlined. “Abuses and violations of children’s rights are not inevitable and child protection can no longer be more than a promise: it must become a requirement, a shared culture, and a political priority,” concluded Adeline Hazan.
