A series of alleged cases of sexual and physical assault is shining a light on fundamental problems in France's nursery and junior school system. Politicians have promised reform — but experts say their plans don't go far enough.
Ever since April 8, 2026, Charlotte, who doesn't want her real name revealed to protect her son's identity, feels like she's cut off from her emotions.
It's the only way she can cope, she says.
That day, her 4-year-old son told her that a teaching assistant, called Ryan, had sexually assaulted him. At his elementary school Gustave Bienvetu in the Parisian suburb of Colombes.
"At first, I thought I had misunderstood — it seemed unimaginable that this should happen to my son. When it finally sunk in, it felt like the heavens were falling down on me," she told DW.
