Lyhanna case: tens of thousands of protestors march in France against sexual violence
The rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in the Gers department triggered historic mobilisation across France, as the suspect had already been the subject of two investigations for rape of a minor.
Lyhanna case: tens of thousands of protestors march in France against sexual violence
Demonstrations of exceptional scale took place on Saturday in numerous French cities to denounce sexual violence, following the murder of an 11-year-old child in the south-west of the country. According to organisers, approximately 100,000 people marched in Paris, describing the event as a "historic mobilisation against sexual violence".
The anger was triggered by the death of Lyhanna, a girl who disappeared in May in Fleurance, in the Gers department. Her body was found in June. The main suspect is a 41-year-old man, father of a classmate of the victim.
What particularly fuels public outrage is the man's judicial history. He had already been suspected in two other cases of rape of a minor. In both cases, the proceedings had either been closed without further action or had not been pursued, leaving the man at liberty.
These failings in the judicial system have prompted calls for the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. He refused to leave his office, whilst offering apologies for what he described as an "immense failure".
Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Women's Foundation, denounced before the demonstration an under-funded system that protects aggressors rather than victims. She recalled that 94 per cent of rape complaints lead to no further action, leaving many perpetrators without any sanction.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed his concern that the gaps revealed by the investigation into the Lyhanna case would undermine the confidence of citizens in French institutions.
Source: Hämeen Sanomat