French government seeks to defuse crisis after girl's killing exposes judicial failings

PARIS - Last year, lawmaker David Taupiac wrote to France's justice ministry warning about major staffing and operational issues at the Auch prosecutor's office in his southern Gers constituency.

"The lack of resources and personnel is increasing citizens' sense of abandonment in the face of a justice system struggling to fulfil its missions," Taupiac wrote in April 2025.

A year later, the Auch prosecutor's office has become the epicentre of a snowballing political crisis over the judiciary's handling of child sexual violence cases that has engulfed President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular minority government.

The crisis erupted after the killing of an 11-year-old girl known only as Lyhanna, who went missing in the town of Fleurance on May 29 after leaving school.

Attention focused on the justice system after Auch prosecutors said the main suspect had been accused of raping a minor in an investigation opened following a complaint filed in August 2025, but was not questioned until his arrest over Lyhanna's disappearance. He was placed under formal investigation on kidnapping and murder charges on June 5. His lawyers declined to comment.

Tens of thousands of people gathered across France on Monday night to protest over the handling of the case, chanting "protect our children".

The demonstrations have heaped pressure on Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, with the outcry feeding off widespread voter dissatisfaction with Macron's government before a presidential election next year.

"We are angry," said Anne-Cecile Mailfert of the Fondation des Femmes women's rights group at the Monday Paris protest.

"We're tired of being treated like idiots. It's clear that the system doesn't work, and it's clear that those in positions of responsibility - the government and the president - are not doing what they should."

PROSECUTORS SAY THEY ARE DROWNING

Prosecutors say they are underfunded, buried in cases and focusing on a government priority to tackle drug crime and domestic violence that diverts resources away from child sexual abuse and rape cases.

Cyril Papon, a legal clerk and union representative, said French courts were overwhelmed.

"Given the difficulties we face, we're actually lucky not to have more cases like this," he said.

Darmanin has acknowledged a "terrible failure" from the state and the judiciary, but has rejected calls to resign over the missteps that led to the death of Lyhanna.

The justice and interior ministries have ordered an investigation into the handling of Lyhanna's case, with findings expected by mid-June.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu summoned ministers for a crisis meeting on Tuesday, in which he demanded the strengthening of an existing child protection bill, tougher penalties for serial rapists, improved information for victims and stricter requirements for dropping cases.

The mounting public anger follows a series of scandals involving minors that have raised questions about the prevalence of sexual violence against children in French society.

The Paris schools system is grappling with allegations of widespread abuse by non-teaching staff.

Last year, French police recorded more than 75,000 minors as victims of sexual violence, up 5% from the previous year.

Children's and women's rights groups say 160,000 children are sexually abused in France every year, and that complaints are not handled promptly due to lack of resources, leaving children exposed to abusers.

On Monday, Darmanin ordered state prosecutors to review an estimated 70,000 ongoing allegations of violence against minors by July 14.

François de Roujou de Boubée, the lawyer for Lyhanna's parents, said that greater judicial resources could have prevented her killing.

He dismissed Darmanin's instruction to review the 70,000 outstanding cases by mid-July as "impossible unless you do a shoddy job".

Taupiac, the Gers lawmaker who originally sounded the alarm, said the government's response to Lyhanna's killing had been overly focused on assigning individual blame.

"When the president and the justice minister say this is not a question of resources, that is not acceptable," he said.

"If this inquiry ends with identifying a few people to punish and then closing the case, we will have missed the point," he added. "What people expect is a systemic response so that this never happens again."

(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Makini Brice; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Alex Richardson)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 2:08 AM.