Protect the children. This is the new “great cause” of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term. Thus, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne chaired a “Council of Children’s Ministers” this Monday morning that brought together about twenty young people between the ages of 8 and 12 from the network of child care associations (ASE). The objective is to initiate an exchange on topics such as school, digital technology or the environment to develop proposals adapted to the concerns of children.
These reflections, freshly matured the day after the International Day of the Rights of the Child, were then presented to various ministers before their meeting for an inter-ministerial committee for children. From this symposium emanate several announcements presented this Monday afternoon.
• Creation of a centralized judicial police office on violence against minors
The Government foresees, by the beginning of 2023, the creation of a centralized judicial police office in matters of violence against minors, with an operational center and a strategy center. It must be seized after reports of sexual violence and acts of a pedocriminal nature.
The creation of this center had already been announced on October 18 by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. “Crime and crimes that affect minors are increasing, particularly on the Internet,” he justified, specifying that the office would be made up of “30 investigators.”
• Withdrawal of parental authority for persons guilty of incest
Recommended by the Independent Commission on Incest (Ciivise) for more than a year, the withdrawal of parental rights of a parent guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in their family should be automatic. Provided that the defendant is convicted of these facts before a court of first instance.
At the end of September, the Secretary of State for Children had already announced “the presentation in the Cortes Generales of a legislative amendment that would allow the exercise of parental authority to be withdrawn in principle in the event of a parent’s conviction for incestuous sexual violence against her “. child”. A measure described as “ridiculous” by the president of the Face à l’Incest association, Isabelle Aubry.
“Parental authority must be automatically suspended as soon as a complaint is filed because the procedure can last for years and the child remains under the influence of his aggressor,” he stressed at the time.
• Reinforcement of criminal record checks for violence against minors
This is the law of February 7, 2022 regarding the protection of children that will enter into force shortly. In particular, it provides for the systematic control of the criminal records of all professionals and volunteers who work with children in juvenile establishments.
“This is about preventing people convicted of sexual offenses from coming into contact with children. These controls will be carried out before taking office, but also during his tenure”, indicates the Government.
And add: “All social or medical-social establishments must define a policy to combat ill-treatment and designate a third authority in the establishment, to whom sheltered persons can turn in case of difficulty.”
• Establishment of a Council of Children’s Ministers twice a year
This Monday morning, about twenty children from the ASE were received at the National Assembly. After a visit to the building, they worked on various topics and proposed ideas to improve their day-to-day life in these areas (disability, digital, environment, health, school).
They then gathered around Elisabeth Borne, Pap Ndiaye (Minister of Education), Christophe Béchu (Ecological Transition), Rima Abdul-Malak (Culture), François Braun (Health) and Jean-Noël Barrot (Digital), to present their thoughts .
The government plans to repeat this event twice a year. The first Council of Ministers for Children would thus be chaired by Emmanuel Macron, the second – as happened on Monday – by the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne.
Source: BFM TV
