** Scandal in Betharram: a reflection on the child protection system in France **
The recent scandal of physical and sexual violence within the Catholic Collège-Lycée Notre-Dame de Betharram, formerly “The beautiful branch”, caused a resounding shock which has spread beyond the walls of this establishment. This case is not only a tragic episode of abuse within an educational institution, it highlights systematic issues that transcend the boundaries of this single case. While justice is just starting to look at an obscure past extending over almost five decades, it is crucial to adopt a global and multidimensional approach to understand the phenomenon of sexual violence against children in schools.
### An environment of silence and complicity
The echo of the complaints of the victims of Betharram refers to the deafening silence that surrounded these abuses for so many years. Hundreds of children, including the victims today aged 8 to 13, were exposed to manipulations, humiliations and violence, with impunity. In this context, it is not surprising that the victims have long felt isolated, abandoned. The academic director who declared in 2000 that the students were not “brutalized” only strengthens the question of an education system which failed to protect his students, but who also allowed a culture of shame and fear who isolated the victims.
This feeling of helplessness, coupled with fear of reprisals, is a reality that concerns many educational institutions around the world. According to a study by the Institute of Research on Violence, 90% of sexual abuses on minors occur in an uninformed framework, whether at school, at home or during sports activities. It appears today imperative to create an environment where children feel safe to express themselves and where adults are responsible for hearing and responding to their complaints without an angle.
### Statistics and comparison
To better understand the severity of the phenomenon, it is useful to look into the figures. In France, it is estimated that a child in ten victim of sexual abuse speaks about it, which means that a large majority keep silent. Where Betharram is distinguished, it is in the late reaction of the authorities and the awareness that seems to have come only after an intense citizen mobilization. Compared to other recent crises, such as the #MeToo movement, which has made it possible to break the silence in many environments, the Betharram scandal testifies to institutional slowness.
### a societal impact
The Betharram affair highlights the need to rethink systemically and sustainable for sexual violence. The establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry, based on a unanimous voice in the National Assembly, is a step in the right direction. However, this must go beyond a simple study committee. An in -depth reform of the mechanisms of reporting, prevention and protection of children is essential, with an emphasis on training suitable for educational staff, but also for parents, in order to create a real protection network.
Interactions between different institutions in the prevention of violence must be better integrated. For example, programs like those of the Independent Commission on Sexual Violence against children (CIIVISE) highlight the importance of an intersectoral approach where education, public health, and social affairs work in synergy to rule more quickly On complaints.
### an emergence of hope
It would be easy to sink into pessimism against this tragedy, but the mobilization of victims and civil society are signals of hope. The initiative of the Collective of Betharram complainants and their fight for justice are part of a dynamic that is found in many other similar movements in France and around the world. It’s time to give them a voice.
The creation of more accessible and effective alert devices, inspired by international models, should be a priority. Organizations like Stop for Violence and Child Protection can serve as models to establish robust systems where young people can report abuse without fear of repercussions.
### Conclusion
The Notre-Dame de Betharram scandal should not be considered an isolated case, but as a revealer of a problem with the deep roots that challenge our society as a whole. It must serve as an accelerator for the implementation of structural, organizational and social changes aimed at preventing violence against children. The path is long, but the echo of the voices of the victims must resonate as a call for action to build a future where no child should never live the horror of silence and suffering.
We must continue to dig this question, to study it and to confront it, until it is only a relegated in the shade of a painful past. Let us not let Betharram become the symbol of impunity, but that of a collective and necessary change.