Decades of silence are shattered as France confronts one of its largest child abuse scandals.
Child protection laws and institutional accountability are under intense scrutiny in France, as a high-profile trial begins against a former surgeon accused of abusing hundreds of young patients.
This case, described as the largest of its kind in French history, has drawn widespread attention both for the scale of the crimes and the systemic failures that allegedly allowed them to continue.
In what is being called the largest child abuse trial in France’s history, a former surgeon is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of young patients over several decades.
Joël Le Scouarnec, 73, allegedly targeted children under anesthesia and in post-operative recovery at hospitals across western France. The trial is set to begin on February 24 in Vannes, Brittany, and will last four months, according to The Guardian and Digi24.
A Decades-Long Pattern of Abuse
Le Scouarnec, who specialized in digestive surgery, allegedly documented his crimes in handwritten journals that listed the initials of his victims. Police investigations identified 299 victims, including 256 children under the age of 15, with an average age of 11.
The abuse, which reportedly spanned from 1989 to 2014, was largely undetected despite a warning from the FBI in 2004 that Le Scouarnec had accessed child abuse materials on the dark web.
Although he was convicted in 2005 and received a suspended four-year sentence, he was not barred from working with children and continued to find employment in prestigious hospitals.
Authorities reopened the case in 2017 after a police raid on his home revealed disturbing evidence, including hidden dolls and explicit images.
Francesca Satta, a lawyer representing 10 victims, described the psychological toll on those now learning of the abuse decades later. Two victims have reportedly died by suicide after learning of their abuse, she added.
Institutional Failures Under Scrutiny
The trial will also probe systemic failures that allowed Le Scouarnec to continue working despite multiple warnings.
Frédéric Benoist, a lawyer for the child protection organization La Voix de L'Enfant, highlighted what he called a "chain of dysfunction" in law enforcement, the judiciary, and healthcare institutions.
When the FBI’s alert reached French authorities, Le Scouarnec was only asked to report to a police station rather than being detained.
Subsequent searches missed key evidence at his workplace. Colleagues later raised concerns, but these were not acted upon decisively.
Benoist has filed a separate legal complaint against the institutions responsible for safeguarding children.
"The failures at so many levels led to the catastrophe that is this case," he remarked.
The trial, which could result in a 20-year prison sentence for Le Scouarnec, aims to address both his crimes and France’s approach to preventing future child abuse cases.
