France begins the largest child abuse procedure after Pelicot case

France begins the largest child abuse procedure after Pelicot case

Editor’s Note: This article contains stressful details from the start.

in France, in the greatest child abuse process in history, the numbers are terrifying: 299 Maßy victims who have been sexually abused in nine hospitals over a period of 25 years - allegedly by a single doctor, according to the public prosecutor

The process begins

The process that started on Monday in Morbihan, Brittany, has accused a suspect with the retired catering by Joël Le Scouarnec, who is said to have abused for decades. Many hope that this process will be a turning point in dealing with France on the subject of child abuse.

From 1986 to 2014, the 74-year-old former surgeon, who has already sitting a 15-year prison sentence for sexual coercion and abuse of children, is said to have added sexual assault, including rape, as young as two years old and to majority. According to the court documents, this happened in Brittany. Le Scouarnec continued to work in private and public institutions despite a conviction for possessions of child pornography in 2005.

Investigations and previous convictions

In the documents, it is claimed that Le Scouarnec told the investigators that he did not remember the individual attacks, but he was able to commit "sexual touch and penetration on some of his patients, especially children"

In addition to the ongoing process, he was convicted of the abuse of his nieces and a neighbor. About a dozen of his patients wanted to participate in the current procedure, but could not be admitted due to French law, since their claims exceeded the 30-year limitation period.

a process with national attention

The process, which is expected to take four months, has already attracted national attention, just a few weeks after a terrifying, months -long process for mass rape and drug abuse in France. The Victim Gisele Pelicot became a strong symbol in the fight against abuse and as a warning to steer shame back to the perpetrators.

Many people hope that this child abuse process fulfills a similar purpose and leads to a painful examination of this topic in France as well as in the institutions and cultures that have contributed to the fact that such crimes remained unpunished.

an outcry against silence

"Why do some of my victims speak in the press?" Asked the lawyer Francesca Satta, who represents several alleged victims. "It is because they are part of this movement that silence is no longer an option."

The oldest suspected victims are now almost 50 years old, while the youngest is 17 years old.

a shocking discovery

This is not the first time that Le Scouarnec is on trial for child abuse. In 2005 he was convicted of possessing child pornography after the FBI discovered him on a pedophile website. His four -month prison sentence was suspended.

Le Scouarnec was convicted of rape of a minor and possession of child pornography in West France and received a 15-year prison sentence after sexually abused his neighbors' daughter through the garden fence. He has been detained since this process.

dramatic evidence and events

In contrast, "Le Scouarnec had no empathy, no emotions and no feelings against a small person whom he literally considered a sexual object," said Francesca Satta, lawyer of several accusers in this current abuse process.

The lawyer Delphine DRIGUEZ, who represented his abuse in 2020, agreed to this assessment: "He is an extremely cold man, without empathy," she said.

a shocking confession

In several diary entries, Le Scouarneec admitted to being a pedophile. These diaries, which play a central role in the current procedure, document alleged sexual assault, often during alleged medical examinations. The entries are so detailed that they help to confirm the large number of alleged rape.

Court documents from the public prosecutor said that he started the diary in 1990 and regularly wrote until 2016, one year before his retirement - with 40 to more than 100 pages of entries per year. The entries describe abuse scenarios that were carried out under the pretext of medical reviews so as not to alert his patients.

trauma of the survivors

for the survivors of the alleged abuse by Le Scouarnec, the years have been traumatic since then. Even if many children were sedated during the alleged abuse, the effects on their lives are clearly noticeable. The documents describe psychological analyzes of the alleged victims who often show persistent problems, especially in their later sexual relationships and their self -confidence after hospitalization under Le Scouarneec.

"We have victims who truly suffer. We have people who suffer from anorexia who are depressed who cannot have children or have no sexuality with their partners. It is all of these anomalies that are considered unpleasant by their doctors who ask themselves: 'How is that possible?' The persons she represented include two families of men who were allegedly abused by Le Scouarneec and committed suicide years later.

In view of the decades of allegations of abuse against Le Scouarnec, some of the witnesses of the survivors are no longer permissible. French law limits criminal prosecution of rapes to 30 years after the victim has reached the age of majority, which means that about 80 people were not taken into account in this procedure.

While justice takes its course, there is a question about the case: How was it supposed to be possible for this man to target so many young people for so long?

CNN asked the hospitals in which the crimes were supposedly committed and the French health authorities for comment.