In response to a series of sexual violence cases in Parisian schools, the city of Paris announces an action plan to better oversee after-school animators. Patrick Bloche, deputy for education, emphasizes strengthened training and early risk detection. This measure aims to protect children following 30 suspensions this year, including 16 for sexual offenses.
Since spring, Paris's 11th arrondissement has been the scene of a dark series in nursery schools, with 11 after-school animators suspended, the majority for sexual offenses. This accounts for a third of the 30 total suspensions in Paris this year, of which 16 involve sexual violence.
A notable case involves an animator from Alphonse-Baudin school, suspended since April and set to be tried on November 25 for sexual assault on five minors and one adult, as well as sexual harassment of two colleagues, according to Le Parisien. At Bullourde school in the same arrondissement, three animators were suspended this autumn. The family of a young girl filed a complaint for 'aggravated rape,' as reported by AFP confirming information from Mediapart. The City of Paris also filed a complaint.
On November 14, Patrick Bloche, deputy for education under Anne Hidalgo, described these incidents as a 'scourge' and unveiled an 'action plan to support the liberation of children's voices.' Key measures include training to detect 'weak signals' and a mandatory two-day training for all new temporary staff before taking up their posts. This step aims to identify problematic positions and condition the deployment of agents on mastering expectations, the elected official explained.
The city hires 3,000 new agents annually to replenish its pool of 10,000 temporaries, out of a total of 14,000 animators. These strengthened recruitment and training criteria thus apply to a large portion of the workforce, aiming to prevent future cases.