The Senate is examining the oversight of television presenters following several cases of sexual violence.

To prevent sexual violence in schools and after-school programs, the Senate will examine tomorrow a bill aimed at strengthening oversight of staff working with minors. The bill, sponsored by centrist Senator Hervé Maurey, comes in a context marked by several cases involving activity leaders suspected of sexually assaulting children, particularly in Paris.

The proposal stipulates that recruitment in the education, sports, and extracurricular sectors may be preceded by administrative inquiries allowing access to candidates' criminal record extract number 2. The stated objective is to verify that no behavior or prior record is incompatible with positions involving contact with minors. The text also provides for the widespread use of certificates of good character attesting to the absence of convictions or entries in the Automated Judicial File of Perpetrators of Sexual or Violent Offenses.

A debate surrounding access to judicial files

The project also reignites the debate on access to criminal records databases (TAJ), currently reserved for police and judicial services. The SOS Périscolaire collective supports stricter controls but raises concerns about the protection of personal data and access to sensitive information concerning applicants.

Hervé Maurey, for his part, advocates for limited access to information concerning only potential violence, physical assaults, or offenses committed against minors. According to the elected official, public and private employers should simply be informed of whether or not there are allegations against them for certain serious incidents, without access to the full details of judicial files.

Persistent tensions in Parisian schools

The examination of this bill comes at a time when child protection issues are increasingly prominent in public debate. Since the beginning of 2026, the Paris City Hall has suspended 78 municipal employees working in schools, including 31 for suspected sexual abuse, according to a report presented by Emmanuel Grégoire.

Meanwhile, a citizens' convention dedicated to children's protection and time management was launched in the capital with the participation of dozens of parents. Several unions representing after-school activity leaders have also recently organized strike action to raise awareness of the sector's difficulties and the lack of resources allocated to prevention and recruitment oversight.