The scandal surrounding widespread sexual abuse at Parisian nurseries and primary schools is escalating, with 16 people detained in the French capital on Wednesday.
They were detained in connection with allegations concerning one state-run nursery in the city centre, the newspaper Le Monde reported, citing the public prosecutor’s office.
The investigating authorities confirmed to the newspaper that those involved are accused of raping and sexually assaulting minors and committing acts of violence against minors.
Some of those detained had already been suspended from work.
For months, parents and politicians in Paris have been shaken by reports of violence and abuse in the city’s after-school care centres, which were apparently not always thoroughly investigated. The issue of abuse was recently a topic in the capital’s local election campaign.
Investigations have been launched into 84 nurseries, around 20 primary schools and 10 after-school care centres, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in an interview with RTL on Sunday.
"All Parisian arrondissements are affected," she told the broadcaster.
The new mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, announced in early April that 78 childcare workers have been suspended from work since the start of the year alone, 31 of them on suspicion of sexual violence.
In 2025, 30 childcare workers were suspended, 16 of them on suspicion of sexual violence.
The mayor announced a €20 million ($23 million) action plan, which includes the rapid and transparent reporting of suspected cases, the involvement and support of parents, and structural improvements. “We must rethink everything from scratch, with one goal in mind: zero tolerance,” the Socialist mayor said.
