In France, 160,000 children are victims of sexual violence per year, 200 of them are victims of abuse every day, and a child is killed by their parents every five days. With these figures, child protection associations want to make the government react. The Children’s Collective called for mobilization across France on Saturday, November 16. On the Place de la Nation in Paris, more than 200 people gathered.
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“ Stop infanticide “, ” a child never consents »: we read the urgency on the signs erected at Place de la Nation, on the faces too. In the crowd, we meet Magalie, fifty years old, who remembers the physical and psychological violence she suffered as a child: “ I spent my entire childhood afraid that my father would kill my mother. And even today, little things in life constantly remind me of these traumatic scenes, it never lets us go, in fact. »
Today, the departments devote nearly 10 billion euros to social assistance for children. An increasing budget, but the government wants to reduce spending on the community side. Audrey Vayrac, specialist educator, fears a drop in already insufficient resources: “ We avoid placing children in homes or foster families because it is expensive. But we sometimes favor placements at home with educators who come three times a week. Where is the limit? ? By coming three times a week, can the child be abused for the rest of the time? ? »
A balance to find. “ If they set aside a budget to protect children, they will save money because child welfare, health and justice are costs. And if we protect children, there will be less spending in these sectors », estimates Claire Bourdille, founder of Children’s Collective. His demand is that child protection be renationalized, for more egalitarian and better coordinated action.
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