French Parliament approves life imprisonment for serial child rapists

The French National Assembly voted 258‑84 to adopt a new provision that imposes criminal‑law life imprisonment on perpetrators of serial sexual assaults against children under 15 years old. The measure was passed as part of a broader child‑protection bill and follows the June murder of 11‑year‑old Lyhanna, which sparked nationwide outrage over systemic failures in handling abuse complaints.

Law‑makers were sharply divided: left‑wing deputies argued the penalty is merely symbolic and urged greater resources for investigation, prevention and victim support, while right‑wing members insisted that the harsher sentence is needed to neutralise dangerous repeat offenders. The debate recalled the case of surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec, convicted of hundreds of assaults but limited to a 20‑year term, highlighting perceived inadequacies in existing sentencing limits. Critics also pointed to a backlog of thousands of child‑abuse complaints that had previously gone unexamined, prompting calls for more staff and better procedural oversight.