Broken children: France confronts crisis of sexual violence against minors

In France, a new "comprehensive law" aims to strengthen preventative measures, the judicial process and support for child victims of sexual violence. Yet advocacy groups, lawyers, and healthcare professionals point out that the legislation has numerous shortcomings. We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus. Warning: viewers may find parts of this report disturbing. In France, one child is reportedly raped or sexually assaulted every three minutes. CIIVISE, the independent commission on incest and sexual violence involving minors, estimates that 160,000 children are victims of these crimes every year. The murder and rape of 11-year-old Lyhanna in May shocked the country and accelerated the creation of a "comprehensive law". Its aim is to intervene at every level, from preventative measures to the judicial response, including the protection and support of victims. Silence Mié Kohiyama was five years old when she was raped by her cousin. She says she lived with traumatic amnesia for 32 years before her memories of the incident returned. Now a co-founder of the Be Brave France charity, she advocates for the elimination of statutes of limitations. She explained to the Na...