Nournews: At a time when global attention is focused on developments such as the wars and crimes committed by the United States and the Israeli regime in West Asia, the new situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its global consequences, horrific human rights violations continue in silence in countries that claim to champion human rights—such as France. These atrocities, alongside reminders of the Western elite’s scandals in the Epstein case, once again expose the devastating consequences of double standards and the politicization of institutions and governments that claim to defend human rights.
In a shocking report, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that a large-scale investigation is underway into allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children in 84 kindergartens, around 20 primary schools, and 10 daycare centers. This case has become one of the largest educational scandals in France in recent years.
According to judicial authorities, most of the allegations involve non-teaching staff—individuals responsible for caring for children before and after school hours, during breaks, and in extracurricular activities, who were employed by the Paris municipality. So far, 78 employees have been suspended in 2026, 31 of whom are linked to sexual abuse allegations. In addition, one children’s activity supervisor is now on trial for the rape of three girls and the sexual assault of nine others.
This disturbing case has exposed hidden realities in a country that presents itself as a defender of human rights; a country whose silence and complicity in the genocide of children—from Gaza to the Minab school—by the Israeli regime and the United States reflects the systemic violation of children’s rights and the inhumane nature of its policies. The silence of international institutions regarding the crisis in France also raises serious and thought-provoking questions.
Behind the Window of Democracy: The Bitter Reality Under the French Sky
France presents itself as the cradle of democracy and human rights and uses this claim to build cases and level accusations against other countries. It has even turned events such as the Cannes Film Festival into platforms for shaping public opinion and political pressure against certain nations, including Iran.
Meanwhile, horrifying cases are reported daily within France, which are often suppressed through media censorship and political distractions in foreign policy, in an attempt to keep them hidden from public opinion. The case of Gisèle Pelicot—who, due to weaknesses in France’s judicial and social systems, was a victim of years of rape—is only the tip of the iceberg of these scandals.
The conviction of Joël Le Scouarnec, a retired French surgeon, for sexually abusing 299 children over 25 years is another horrific example of the country’s moral and human rights crisis. This case, described as one of Europe’s largest sexual abuse scandals, revealed the exploitation of children in a medical setting by a man in an official position. France has not only failed to control such crimes but, by institutionalizing indifference, has enabled their recurrence.
A report by France’s High Council for Gender Equality also revealed that 7 out of 10 women in the Île-de-France region have been victims of sexual violence in public transportation. Official police statistics recorded more than 3,370 sexual violence cases in 2024. Reports also indicate that over 160,000 children are abused annually in France.
The coincidence of the Cannes Film Festival with revelations of child sexual abuse scandals in French schools and kindergartens once again raises questions about the dual function of such cultural events. While festivals could serve as a voice for victims and a mirror of social realities, Cannes has effectively become a platform for political hypocrisy and censorship of truth. The absence of investigative works on sexual violence in France highlights efforts by cultural elites to ignore the human rights crisis within their own country.
From Gaza to Minab: Silence Complicit in Crime
The contradictory behavior of French officials in dealing with domestic and foreign crises reveals another dimension of this crisis. These officials, who remain silent on the abuse of children and women in their own country, simultaneously claim to defend human rights while supporting the Israeli regime in the Gaza war crimes.
The supply of weapons to Tel Aviv and the suppression of anti-war protests in Paris show that France is not only not a defender of human rights, but is also a global accomplice in human rights violations.
French officials have remained silent on the genocide of 20,000 children in Gaza—children who have fallen victim to Israeli aggression—as well as the 168 students killed in the Minab school tragedy, which is described as a US–Israeli crime. They have even attempted to justify these atrocities.
Humanity will not forget that France’s primary concern in the face of these tragedies has been oil and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for its economic welfare and political survival, while humanity itself has been of little importance to them. France, which through the contaminated blood scandal harmed Iranian children and endangered countless Iranian women and children during the sanction years, now remains indifferent to the massacre of innocent students in Minab and dozens of children killed by US and Israeli aggression. Therefore, such a country has neither the legitimacy to claim humanitarianism nor the right to lecture others; rather, it must itself be held accountable for these crimes.
Silence of Global Institutions and the Fall of the Human Rights Mask
A notable point regarding the catastrophic human rights situation—including recent crimes in French schools and the inhumane actions of its leaders in colonialism and complicity or silence in Israeli-American genocides—is the silence of human rights institutions and international organizations.
Those who present themselves as saviors of humanity remain silent in the face of this tragic reality, and by focusing on fabricated narratives and false distractions, they help conceal crimes taking place in Western countries, from Europe to the United States.
Those who, through their actions and relations, have contributed to scandals such as the Epstein case must now be held accountable for the inhumane crimes unfolding under Western skies—crimes whose victims are women and children whose voices have been silenced amid the noise of politics and media.
Nournews