Tens of thousands of people protested across France on Monday evening, including in front of the justice ministry in Paris, following the murder of an 11-year-old girl. The case has sparked a political row over the state's failure to address sexual violence against children.
Lawyer Calls for More Funding
François Roujou de Boubée, the lawyer for the family of Lyhanna, whose body was found last week in south-western France, stated on Tuesday: "Frankly, if the justice system had more resources, this tragedy and all the others wouldn't have happened." He emphasized that the family trusts the justice system but demands an end to underfunding. Roujou de Boubée urged the government not to exploit the murder for political gain or promise new laws, nor to blame investigators.
Details of the Case
Lyhanna disappeared on 29 May near Fleurance, a town of about 6,000 people 80km outside Toulouse. Her body was discovered seven days later in an abandoned grain silo in the Gers area. She was last seen leaving school in the car of Jérôme Barella, 41, the father of a classmate. Barella, who was taken into custody before the body was found, denies killing her, claiming he dropped her at a local pool.
Outrage erupted when it emerged that Barella had been reported to police multiple times for alleged rapes of girls in recent years but was never arrested. In August last year, he was reported for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl, yet nine months later, when Lyhanna went missing, he had not been questioned. He worked as a cleaner at several schools and was fired from one for inappropriate online behavior with a female student.
Mother of Another Victim Sues State
On Tuesday, the mother who reported Barella last year for the alleged rape of her then 10-year-old daughter announced she would sue the state and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin for failing to arrest and question the suspect. The woman, identified only as Audrey, said Barella manipulated her daughter, threatening suicide if she spoke out. Despite medical and psychological evidence supporting her daughter's case, Audrey said police told her the investigation was ongoing. She claimed an officer recently warned that if she kept "harassing" them, they would sue her. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said call logs would be reviewed to identify the officer.
Audrey's lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, called for a more "humane" justice system, noting that while most investigating magistrates are excellent, some are "catastrophic" and investigators have been lazy.
Political Reactions
Darmanin has refused to resign but criticized a "huge failure" in handling previous accusations against Barella. He ordered 70,000 legal complaints for violence against children to be re-examined within a month. However, Roujou de Boubée dismissed this as unrealistic given resource shortages.
In parliament, National Assembly leader Yaël Braun-Pivet said: "France has collectively failed," stressing the problem is systemic, not about scapegoats. Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally called for reflection on the justice system's workings. Clémence Guetté of La France Insoumise urged the government to allocate necessary resources for justice, training, and prevention. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting and announced new legislation on sexual and sexist abuse to be examined next month.
Protests and Systemic Issues
On Monday night, tens of thousands protested outside the justice ministry in Paris and courtrooms nationwide. Many in the crowd were survivors of childhood sexual violence, frustrated with slow complaint handling. Anne-Cécile Mailfert of the Women's Foundation said: "Our anger is against a system which does not reform, and against a government that won't listen to us."
Ludovic Friat, head of a magistrates' union, wrote to Darmanin noting that French judicial professionals have "four times less prosecutors than the European average" and cannot meet all demands. According to Ciivise, an independent commission on incest and sexual violence against children, only 7% of complaints of sexual assault of a minor in France result in a conviction.
