Justice: Nearly 70,000 cases of sexual violence against minors re-examined, overseas territories also affected

Following the Lyhanna case, which revealed several shortcomings in the judicial handling of complaints of sexual violence against minors, the Ministry of Justice launched a vast operation to review cases across all French jurisdictions. Led in conjunction with the 36 chief prosecutors, this review covers 85,047 recorded complaints, of which 69,626 have already been re-examined. The overseas territories are fully involved in this process, with several thousand cases reviewed.

In France's overseas territories, progress varies. Guadeloupe has reviewed all 688 of its cases, while Martinique has processed 585 out of 1,021. In Réunion, 1,050 out of 1,392 cases have been reviewed. In contrast, French Guiana (95 out of 773 cases) and New Caledonia (44 out of 342) have lower review rates. French Polynesia , for its part, has already processed 516 out of 623 cases. These figures demonstrate the scale of the work undertaken to reassess ongoing procedures.

Procedures have been restarted and priority cases identified.

Nationally, 61,5% of recorded offenses are misdemeanors and 38,5% are felonies. According to the Ministry, 91,4% of those implicated have no known criminal record, while 16,5% of suspected perpetrators have not yet been identified. Furthermore, 64% of identified victims are now adults. The operation identified 970 cases considered priorities, particularly those involving victims who are still minors or suspects who pose a high risk of reoffending.

The review of complaints has already had concrete consequences. The ministry reports 1,350 new judicial investigations, a 309% increase, as well as 675 additional incarcerations (a 173% increase). The average processing time for complaints is estimated at 14,2 months, and 97% of the cases concerned are less than three years old. For the government , this operation aims to strengthen the protection of minors and expedite the handling of the most sensitive cases, while associations continue to call for a lasting improvement in support for victims.