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Published on: 04/29/2026 - 3:02 p.m.

In Paris, parents are no longer able to drop their children off at school without being afraid: for months, revelations of physical and sexual violence against kindergarten children have been increasing. These serious incidents would have occurred during extracurricular time – daycare or even canteen. Since the start of 2026, 78 presenters have been suspended in the capital, including 31 for suspicion of sexual violence. A scourge that is also national. How to explain such dysfunctions?

Warning: this report discusses physical and sexual violence against children. Some comments may be shocking.

On the square in front of the town hall, there are a few dozen parents demonstrating this late April afternoon.

Faced with the story of physical and sexual abuse against children during canteen and daycare periods, they demand strong measures.

“What we would like is for confidence to be restored as quickly as possible and for us to be able to return to normal functioning,” confides Lyna, a worried mother of a student who has decided to withdraw her children from after-school activities.

Warning signs ignored

Nathalie lives with guilt. Her son, now 8 years old, attended one of the dozens of schools involved. "At the time, he had very violent reactions. We didn't understand why. He wasn't feeling well. He always said 'I hate them. I don't like them. I don't want to go to after-school activities'". Like other parents, she had tried to alert, without being heard.

Olivier, who testifies anonymously, knew nothing of this climate when his children returned to this same school last September. Their daughter quickly had serious problems sleeping, while their son regularly returned with bruises and scratches.

On January 29, he and his wife recognized their children's school in extracts from a report on after-school violence. When they return from school, they question the children. Their lives are turned upside down. “They obviously tell us about the violence and the cries, but they also tell us about the sexual violence, the acts, the touching,” confides Olivier, broken.

The truth of children too often doubted

Several months after giving themselves up, the two children still have serious psychological after-effects, typical of victims of violence. A trauma revived by the slowness of justice: the children had to repeat their story several times, due to lack of a suitable procedure.

In France, the words of children are still too often doubted. “These beliefs are refuted by scientific data. Numerous studies show that in less than 1% of cases, the child lies,” explains Luis Alvarez, child psychiatrist.

Overwhelming testimonies about violence in extracurriculars pour in every day from those responsible for the SOS extracurricular collective. Founded by Anne and Élisabeth, this collective launched a call for testimonies in 2021. “We received more than 80 testimonies in ten days. That’s when we understood that it was systemic,” explains Élisabeth.

A lack of training and poor recruitment

The majority of testimonies reveal physical and psychological violence, often minimized by the adults in charge of the children. Whistleblowers point to a deeply flawed system.

Insufficient recruitment, unsuitable training, precarious working conditions and lack of a clear national framework: these are the main problems which explain these abuses, according to them.

Faced with the scale of the revelations, the City of Paris launched a 20 million euro action plan to better protect children in after-school settings. Among the measures taken: improving reporting, training facilitators and creating listening cells for child victims of violence.

Initiatives to raise awareness of consent are also emerging, to better arm children in the face of violence. This scandal highlights the urgency of better listening, protecting and recognizing the words of children.

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