The Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence Against Children (CIIVISE) presented to Ministers Gérald Darmanin and Stéphanie Rist its report on the implementation of the 82 recommendations formulated in November 2023. The figures remain unbearable: 160,000 child victims each year, a child victim of rape or sexual assault every 3 minutes, only 1% of attackers convicted in cases of incest. While progress is to be welcomed, CIIVISE cannot be satisfied with these results. Judicial treatment and reparation for victims remain blind spots in public policy. The question of incest as a specific offense remains unanswered. And among the 17 priority measures identified in February 2025, only 3 are fully effective.
Two and a half years after submitting its founding report “Sexual violence against children: we believe you”, the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (CIIVISE) publishes its progress report. This document, officially submitted to the Keeper of the Seals, Gérald Darmanin, and to Stéphanie RIST, Minister of Health, Families, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities, and assesses the integration by the Government of the 82 recommendations formulated in November 2023 to transform and finally make effective the fight against incest and sexual violence against minors.
A contrasting quantitative assessment
If several recommendations are integrated into broader national plans, their “ciivisian” origin is rarely highlighted in official communication. Of the 82 recommendations issued by the Commission, 62 measures (i.e. 75%) are currently being effectively implemented or scaled up. If the CIIVISE welcomes a clear government will, it nevertheless qualifies these results:
- The rate of fully effective measures remains unsatisfactory: 28%, or only 23 recommendations actually implemented in more than 2 years.
- Concerning the 17 measures identified as priorities in its February 2025 report, only 3 are currently fully operational.
Significant advances: Identification and Prevention
The State’s efforts have mainly focused on the pillars of identification and prevention, with achievement rates (total or partial) exceeding 90%.
- Health and School: The strengthening of school health resources and increased control of establishments welcoming minors are effective. The evolution of the health record now includes information relating to the prevention of violence.
- Security and Investigation: The specialization of investigators is progressing even if their number remains largely insufficient; the use of the NICHD hearing protocol (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) increases (see box); the specialization of reception systems is reinforced with the deployment of the Pediatric Reception Units for Children in Danger (UAPED), and the Mélanie Rooms.
- Awareness tools: The Commission notes the dissemination of tools such as the “LILIA” training kit in the sporting environment and the perpetuation of the number 119 as a citizen reflex.
Points of vigilance: Justice and Reparation
The report highlights a persistent gap between child protection issues and the legal response. The CIIVISE recalls the urgency of the situation and remains outraged by the criminal outcome of cases of sexual violence against minors
judicialized: only 3% of attackers are convicted (1% in cases of incest), and more than 6 out of 10 complaints are dismissed.
The area devoted to judicial processing shows a notable delay in relation to advances in detection and prevention: 34% of the recommendations (i.e. 14 out of 41) are still the subject of pending arbitrations or have not been implemented. The main blocking points identified are:
Legal protection: Eight key recommendations, including disciplinary immunity for professionals reporting and
the prevention of recognition of the child by the attacker resulting from rape, await a clear decision from the Government.
The insufficient protection of child victims who still remain exposed to their attacker; the parents (most often mothers) who try to protect them find themselves prosecuted for failure to represent a child even though the legal framework has been strengthened.
The specificity of incest: Although punishable by the Penal Code, incest is still not recognized as a specific offense.
Imprescriptibility: The request to make sexual crimes against minors imprescriptible remains pending.
The care pathway: Full coverage by national solidarity of specialized care pathways is not yet assured.
A call for profound systemic change
In conclusion, the Commission asks the Government to move up a gear through national-level measures and appropriate means by the end of the presidential mandate so that child protection becomes the guiding principle of better unified links in the criminal and civil chain. She calls for rapid arbitration on the legislative measures still under discussion in order to transform projects and promises into lasting and beneficial realities for the victims.
Analysis of the implementation of Ciivise recommendations, May 2026
CIIVISE, press release, June 15, 2026
Le protocole NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Destiné aux policiers et aux intervenants sociaux, le protocole NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) est une entrevue structurée qui définit à la fois les différentes activités et étapes à réaliser avec l'enfant ainsi que les questions à demander. Le protocole comprend trois grandes étapes. La partie pré-déclarative sert à créer l’alliance avec l’enfant en créant un lien de confiance. La phase déclarative est introduite par une série de questions ouvertes afin de préciser le plus possible les souvenirs de l’enfant par rapport aux mauvais traitements au sujet desquels l'enfant est rencontré. Dès qu'une révélation est faite de la part de l'enfant, celle-ci sera examinée dans son entier à l'aide de questions ouvertes appelées invitations, de quelques questions directives (où, quand, quoi, comment, etc.) et seulement si nécessaire à la toute fin, de questions spécifiques (est-ce que…). Après avoir vérifié avec qui l'enfant en a parlé, l’étape de clôture permet de vérifier si l'enfant a autre chose à dire et de le remercier pour le travail accompli. Des recherches conduites dans au moins quatre pays différents, dont le Québec, ont démontré que l'utilisation du protocole NICHD augmente la proportion de questions ouvertes chez l’intervieweur et la quantité d’informations de la part des enfants. L’utilisation du protocole a également un impact sur le processus judiciaire, des études ayant démontré que les entrevues NICHD sont plus facilement identifiées comme crédibles et mènent à davantage de mises en accusation.Pour plus d’informations : Consulter le site web https://nichdprotocol.com/the-nichd-protocol/https://nichdprotocol.com/the-nichd-protocol/où le protocole NICHD disponible en plusieurs langues, le matériel de formation, incluant des vidéos, ainsi qu’une bibliographie pertinente d’articles et de livre sur le sujet sont accessibles.
Source : Observatoire nationale de la protection de l'enfance
