The City of Paris has alerted authorities after videos surfaced showing staff at a child welfare shelter shaving a 15-year-old boy's head to humiliate him. The incident occurred in February 2025 at the Jenner youth home in Paris's 13th arrondissement. The juvenile prosecutor's office has launched an inquiry into willful violence against a minor.
In February 2025, at the Jenner educational home run by the Jean-Cotxet association in Paris's 13th arrondissement, staff shaved the head of a 15-year-old boy under child welfare care (ASE). They filmed the act and shared it in a professional WhatsApp group, calling it a 'punishment.' In the footage, the boy is shirtless, seated with arms crossed, as the clippers run over his head.
Group chats show mockery among staff, though one colleague warned: 'If it’s not a joke, it’s very very serious.' The boy wore a hat for at least four months to hide his scalp and endured taunts and physical assaults from peers.
Describing the acts as 'gravissimes,' the City of Paris alerted prosecutors on December 9, 2025. No excuse—lice, the boy's consent, or maternal approval—justifies the violence, the city stated, planning to join as a civil party. An administrative probe has already replaced the supervisory team, with ongoing checks to protect the children.
The family's lawyer, Axel Delaunay-Belleville, faults the delay: the city knew since September but only went public in December. The mother intends to file a complaint soon. The Jean-Cotxet association, 'deeply shocked,' says it learned of the incident in late March and overlooked the video until September. The boy, under special care, wants to stay at the home where he feels safe despite the event.
Paris mayoral candidates, including David Belliard and Emmanuel Grégoire, demand harsh penalties. Childhood commissioner Sarah El Haïry stressed: 'A placed child must be treated with absolute dignity.' An April 2025 parliamentary report highlights cracks in France's child protection system, citing inadequate oversight for nearly 400,000 minors.