Alleged Abuse in French Daycares and Schools Sparks Calls for Systemic Reform

A series of alleged sexual and physical abuse cases has exposed fundamental problems within France’s daycare and primary school system. Politicians are promising reforms, but experts believe the plans do not yet address the root of the issue. Since 8 April 2026, Charlotte, who did not wish to reveal her real name to protect her son’s identity, has felt emotionally numb. But with that numbness, she has also been able to cope. That day, her 4-year-old son told her that a school support staff member named Ryan had sexually abused him. The incident took place at the Gustave Bienvetu primary school in Colombes, a suburb of Paris. ‘At first, I thought I had misunderstood. It felt unimaginable that something like this could happen to my child. When I finally realised what had happened, it felt like the sky was falling on me,’ Charlotte told DW. Charlotte and her husband reported the incident to the school and the mayor’s office. The support staff member was suspended shortly afterwards. However, according to Charlotte, other actions were not taken as quickly as they should have been. ‘By law, the mayor’s office should have immediately reported it to the public prosecutor, but they only did so two weeks later,’ she said. She added that other families at the school should also have been notified promptly. ‘Because that wasn’t done, we filed a report for alleged sexual abuse and informed other parents about what happened,’ Charlotte said. Two other families also filed complaints against Ryan. One family reported him for alleged indecent exposure, as their child reportedly witnessed the incident involving Charlotte’s son. Another child also reported being sexually abused by the support staff member. The municipal government denied Charlotte’s accusations. ‘The public prosecutor was informed after a period that could not be shortened, because the report had to be compiled fairly and accurately,’ the mayor’s office wrote in an email to DW. They added that assistance had been provided to the affected families. However, Anne, one of the founders of SOS Periscolaires, a collective that documents reports of physical and sexual violence against children in daycare centres and primary schools, said authorities in various regions of France are often slow to respond. Due to her work in the public sector, she cannot disclose her surname. ‘This is a recurring pattern. We see it in many of the more than 500 cases of sexual or physical violence we have recorded since our organisation was founded in 2021,’ she told DW. Anne believes the school support staff sector in France has become a loophole that can be exploited by predators because the recruitment process is so lax. ‘Non-teaching staff are managed by the mayor’s office or external companies. In the latter case, which we estimate accounts for about 40%, playground assistants are not required to undergo training, and their criminal records do not have to be checked,’ she explained. She added that very low wages make it difficult for the sector to attract truly qualified workers. Jean-Michel Bocquet, a lecturer in education sciences at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord and the Catholic University of Paris, said conditions are not much better when the mayor’s office is responsible. ‘Under that scheme, support staff only need to complete a four-week training course, which was originally designed for summer camp counsellors,’ he told DW. ‘Moreover, according to our research, the preferred profile for this job is an authoritative male with a sense of humour, rather than an empathetic female. That increases the chances of sexual predators entering this profession.’ Jerome Camus, a sociologist from the University of Tours in central France, said the situation has deteriorated gradually. ‘The 2013 school reform shortened learning hours and extended extracurricular time. As a result, we now need 2 million support staff, not 1 million,’ he explained. ‘Furthermore, until the 1980s, leisure time at school was intended to give children access to cultural activities. That time was seen as a space of freedom. Now, the task of non-teaching staff is often simply to supervise children. This means the required qualifications have become very minimal.’ The mistreatment by school support staff only gained widespread attention in September 2025, after the first cases were revealed in Paris, the city where many national media outlets are based. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office told DW that the number of reports of abuse by non-teaching staff across Paris has increased rapidly since then and has now reached more than 100. Several cases are currently proceeding in court. SOS Periscolaires is aware of at least 70 formal complaints against school support staff across France. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire, who was newly elected in March, recently confirmed that more than 130 playground assistants have been suspended since the start of 2026. Fifty-two of them were suspended for alleged sexual abuse. Gregoire also announced a €20 million action plan, which includes a comprehensive audit of the current system, enhanced training and background checks for non-teaching staff, a more effective reporting system, and better support for affected families. The new measures are scheduled to begin implementation in the autumn of this year, between September and November. At the national level, several draft laws are being or will soon be debated in parliament. Most focus on strengthening background checks. ‘Staff working with children should be checked through a database,’ the proposals suggest.