The Judge Who Offered Up His Daughter, Le Scouarnec, and the Impunity of the Powerful

There are cases that say it all. Cases that encapsulate in a single instance the horror of a system—its failures, its silences, and the impunity of those who should have been the guardians of the most vulnerable.

A 55-year-old former juvenile court judge from Dijon has been indicted for offering his 12-year-old daughter for rape on swingers’ websites. He posted photos of the child in a swimsuit to illustrate his ads. After being indicted, he was released and placed under simple judicial supervision. Released. A former juvenile court judge. The very man who decided the fate of minors in danger every single day. He was ultimately sentenced to one year in prison without parole. One year. For offering his own daughter for rape. France BleuFranceinfo

And he is not alone. Surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec was sentenced in May 2025 to 20 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of 299 victims—mostly child patients—over a 25-year period. He had received a suspended sentence in 2005 for downloading child pornography—and had been allowed to continue practicing medicine. Given a suspended sentence in 2005. Allowed to operate. 299 additional victims over 25 years. The youngest was one year old. Wikipedia

The parliamentary commission notes that juvenile court judges are still too often responsible for 600, or even 700 or 800 cases, which makes it impossible to ensure a high-quality juvenile justice system. Overburdened judges, unread case files, ignored reports—and children who fall through the cracks of a system riddled with holes. Franceinfo

Child protection cannot be entrusted to a system that does not hold itself accountable, that protects its own, and that drowns victims in Kafkaesque procedures. The children of France deserve better than a system that abandons them—and sometimes, that betrays them.