Several celebrities, including actresses Juliette Binoche, Philippine Leroy Beaulieu and actor Alex Lutz, expressed their anger and indignation on social networks after the murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna. They denounce the failure of the judicial system in protecting children.
“Girls have rights including not being prey! That’s enough!” Juliette Binoche, Flavie Flament, Jeanne Cherhal, Adeline Toniutti… Several celebrities shared the same text on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of themselves as a child or at the start of adolescence, after the call from the media Mesdames and its co-founder, Maïtena Biraben, launched in the face of the explosion caused by the Lyhanna affair.
Maïtena Biraben launched a “movement” on social networks on Saturday June 6 to react to the death of Lyhanna, found Thursday June 4 in an agricultural silo. Others published other texts, accompanied by #JesuisLyhanna.
“France does not protect its daughters. I think of the mothers who filed a complaint, of the daughters who suffered, of the daughter of this individual who stole and ruined the lives of so many others. Public power, open your eyes. Lyhanna was left alone. This is unacceptable, and doing nothing now makes you complicit!, says the shared text in its entirety.
“Too much injustice”
Author of Ticklingactress, director and activist in the fight against sexual violence, Andréa Bescond also denounces “too much injustice” and an “infinite complacency towards child criminals” of the judicial system. For her, “there was no dysfunction” in the judicial investigation into Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in the murder of Lyhanna, but a new occurrence of a recurring failure.
“Lyhanna, this is not an isolated case. Children killed by repeat child molesters, there have been several before her,” she recalls.
“Our children are mainly raped by men who are known to the courts, who have complaints of sexual violence, who benefit from dismissals or who, miraculously, are convicted but who benefit from reduced sentences.”
Comedian Alex Lutz also denounces “one tragedy too many” in a selfie format video on Instagram, in which he encourages the use of another hashtag, #JeSuisAuTribunal. “This is a sad new turning point in all these affairs and we ask that there be an urgent need to modify (…) institutionally the way of handling these affairs. Society no longer supports it,” he denounces.
Same kind of video published by actress Philippine Leroy Beaulieu, who also denounces “one too many cases”. Moved, she declared: “I hope at least that this horrible story will serve to awaken all consciences. (…) It is time that we look this in the face and absolutely demand that our system protect our children.”
Call to demonstrate
The actress Emmanuelle Béart also believes that “the judicial institution was not able to protect this little Lyhanna, it’s one more tragedy”. Also mentioning the “160,000 children incested every year” and the discoveries of violence in after-school settings, she adds: “we are failing at all levels, in the collection of complaints, in prevention, in the alert system… Nothing is effective.”
Several celebrities also shared a call to demonstrate on Monday June 8 in front of the courts of France and in front of the Ministry of Justice in Paris, launched by Andréa Bescond. “Let us peacefully demonstrate our anger at this child crime gangrene and the impunity from which the attackers benefit,” she wrote in her appeal.
