France Votes 187-0 to Shield Children from School Abuse

(MENAFN) France's National Assembly unanimously passed landmark child protection legislation Monday, delivering a sweeping response to one of the country's most damaging institutional abuse scandals in recent memory.

The bill cleared its first reading 187 votes to zero just before midnight, media reported — a unanimous verdict reflecting rare cross-party consensus on the urgency of protecting minors in educational settings.

Co-authored by Violette Spillebout of President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party and Paul Vannier of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI), the legislation emerged from months of parliamentary hearings triggered by the Notre-Dame de Betharram scandal — a case involving alleged systematic abuse at a private Catholic school near Pau, in southwestern France.

That inquiry put senior officials under scrutiny, including then-Prime Minister François Bayrou, over what they may have known — and when — about mistreatment at the institution.

The new law targets accountability gaps head-on: tightening supervision of adults working with minors in schools and after-school programs, and imposing stricter oversight on private educational institutions long operating with limited state scrutiny.

One flashpoint provision, however, did not survive the vote. Lawmakers stripped a clause that would have compelled religious ministers to report abuse disclosed in confession, leaving the sacramental seal intact.

Supporters argued the bill represents a critical step toward safeguarding children, strengthening monitoring mechanisms and forcing institutions to answer for failures on their watch. The Betharram case had ignited a nationwide reckoning over how abuse allegations in schools are handled — and how often they are buried.

The legislation now advances to further stages before it can be enacted into law.

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