Pas-de-Calais: Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor's office overwhelmed by child abuse cases
For four weeks, magistrates at the juvenile court in Boulogne-sur-Mer have been reviewing hundreds of procedures involving violence against minors, on instruction from the Ministry of Justice.
Pas-de-Calais: Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor's office overwhelmed by child abuse cases
The courthouse in Boulogne-sur-Mer is operating under tension. For the past thirty days, the twelve prosecutors in the juvenile prosecutor's office have been re-examining 550 procedures involving children who are victims of violence. Nine of them have been classified as urgent.
This massive operation follows a directive from the Ministry of Justice, addressed to all French prosecutors' offices following the tragedy involving Lyhanna. The deadline set to complete this work is 14 July.
Journalists from France Télévisions obtained rare authorisation to film the work of Cécile Gressier, prosecutor of the Republic in this jurisdiction. She is seen making a crucial decision in real time: a complaint filed three years ago by a teenage girl who accuses her father of rape. The magistrate orders the investigation to continue, whilst lamenting the time required. Experts will need to assess both the mental state of the defendant and the psychological consequences for the complainant.
Other cases have resurfaced, such as inappropriate touching that occurred at a scout camp in 2023. To prioritise these cases, the prosecutor relies on an essential criterion: the risk of ongoing contact between the perpetrator and the minor. Ensuring the safety of victims takes priority over everything else.
Kenza Laatar, substitute magistrate in the juvenile prosecutor's office, paints an alarming picture. She states that the objective of transforming childhood into a protected zone remains intact, but that without additional staff, the quality of investigations risks being compromised by the workload. New reports continue to arrive every day, adding to the pressure on already overstretched teams.
Jurisdictions specialising in child protection are calling for additional personnel to fulfil their commitments.
Source: franceinfo
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)