France's Largest School Abuse Scandal Spurs Parliamentary Inquiry

The Notre-Dame de Bétharram, an elite Catholic boarding school in France, has been at the center of the country's largest school abuse scandal, involving physical, psychological, and sexual abuse spanning several decades. Victims, including Pascal Gélie, have recounted harrowing experiences of violence and neglect, describing the school as a "supermarket for sexual predators." Over 200 legal complaints have been filed, with many cases now ineligible for prosecution due to statutes of limitations, yet victims continue to demand accountability, particularly from current Prime Minister François Bayrou, who was education minister during the abuses. A French parliamentary inquiry, led by MPs Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, has collected extensive testimonies and will soon publish a report with 50 recommendations aimed at preventing future violence in schools. The scandal has exposed systemic failures in the French education system to protect children and has sparked a national #MeTooSchools movement. The inquiry’s findings highlight the need for continued vigilance and reforms to break the culture of silence surrounding abuse in educational institutions.