France faces backlog of 70,000 child sexual abuse cases, Justice Minister warns prosecutors

More than 70,000 complaints of sexual violence against minors remain pending in French courts. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin urged prosecutors to accelerate processing of these files and warned that failure to act could lead to a merger of the Justice Ministry with the Interior.

France has about 2,200 prosecutors, a ratio of 3.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, well below the European median of 11.2. By comparison, Norway has 19.5 prosecutors per 100,000 people, Latvia 24, and Germany 7.7. In 2023 French courts recorded 4.7 million complaints and statements, handling 4.2 million criminal matters, but many cases are closed without prosecution due to insufficient evidence or procedural gaps.