Parliament recognizes the harm suffered by minors from Réunion who were relocated to mainland France.

Parliament definitively adopted on Tuesday a bill intended to recognize and redress the harm suffered by the "children of Creuse," the thousands of miners from Réunion transferred to mainland France between 1962 and 1984. The text was unanimously approved by the Senate after an initial favorable vote by the National Assembly, marking a new step in the recognition of this issue which has long remained painful for many families from Réunion.

Between 1962 and 1984, 2,015 children were relocated from Réunion to 83 metropolitan departments, primarily to rural areas facing population decline. Officially presented as a regional development measure, this policy led to family separations, identity crises, and, in some cases, situations of abuse or extreme poverty.

Official recognition and a right to redress

Overseas Territories Minister Naïma Moutchou hailed the text as "just and dignified," while several elected officials from Réunion recalled the suffering endured by the displaced children and their families who remained on the island. Many parents never saw their children again after they left for mainland France.

The text provides for the creation of a commission for remembrance, the establishment of a national day of tribute every February 18th, and a financial compensation mechanism. A lump-sum payment may be made to the victims or their descendants through a state-funded fund.

This law follows in the footsteps of other recognition measures adopted in recent years for various populations victimized by state decisions. More than half a century after the first transfers, it represents a new step in the work of remembrance surrounding one of the most controversial episodes in the contemporary history of Réunion.