PARIS, Sept 16 — The mayor of Paris today expressed his “deepest regrets” over multiple cases of physical and sexual assault on children by school staff, admitting there had been a lack of transparency in handling the crisis.
Parents in the French capital have been deeply unsettled by the scandal which saw multiple allegations of sexual or physical violence emerge in recent months against monitors the city employs to look after children outside the classroom, such as during lunchtime, after lessons or in holiday camps.
“I wish to express my deepest regrets. Personal regrets first, but also those of the city of Paris, which I represent in an official capacity,” Emmanuel Gregoire told a fact-finding inquiry of the upper house Senate.
Gregoire, elected mayor earlier this year to succeed his fellow Socialist Anne Hidalgo who held the post for 12 years, acknowledged that the city of Paris may have “lacked transparency,” particularly because “public meetings with parents and advocacy groups were not held systematically”.
Like Hidalgo, who appeared before the inquiry yesterday, he appeared to stop short of issuing a personal apology, saying that the city of Paris “never failed to meet the legal recruitment obligations”.
The comments by Gregoire, who had previously served as Hidalgo’s first deputy mayor, came a day after a Paris court imposed the heaviest sentence since the allegations emerged.
Michael M., 38, admitted during his trial to having sexually assaulted nine children aged five to 10 between September 2022 and January 2024. The court handed him a five-year term, four of which were suspended, and ordered him to serve the one-year term under house arrest with an ankle tag.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Gregoire and Hidalgo should be held responsible after parents filed several complaints alleging mismanagement. Since the start of the year, Paris has suspended 132 aides, including 52 suspected of sexual abuse. — AFP
* If you are experiencing sexual violence, the following hotlines offer free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); All Women’s Action Society at 016-2374221/016-2284221 (9.30am-5.30pm); and Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) at 03-30008858 or SMS/WhatsApp TINA 018-9888058 (24/7)
