Lyhanna case in France: white march in Fleurance, suspect evaded prosecution despite reports
Approximately 6,000 people participated in a white march in Fleurance to pay tribute to Lyhanna, 11 years old, found dead in an agricultural silo. The 41-year-old suspect had already been the subject of rape complaints without ever being questioned by investigators.
Lyhanna case in France: white march in Fleurance, suspect evaded prosecution despite reports
A crowd dressed in white gathered on Sunday in Fleurance, in south-west France. Nearly 6,000 protesters marched through this small commune to honour the memory of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a former agricultural silo.
The emotion is immense across the country. The presumed culprit, a 41-year-old man named Jérôme B. and father of one of the victim's classmates, faces charges for abduction and unlawful confinement. What shocks public opinion is that this individual was already known to police. Rape complaints had been filed against him, accompanied by multiple alerts. Yet the authorities had never summoned him for questioning, even when indicators of child sexual abuse had emerged.
This tragedy highlights, according to many commentators, the shortcomings of child protection arrangements. Anne-Cécile Mailfert, head of the Foundation for Women, considers this case to be emblematic of current structural failings. She denounces a gap between a society that has progressed and institutions that are struggling to adapt.
Source: Le Temps
Source: Le Temps