88,000 reports reviewed: What the major effort following the Lyhanna case has shown so far

Paris – 15 July 2026: In the offices of public prosecutors and investigative services, case files have been retrieved, deadlines checked and open leads reassessed in recent weeks. Following the death of eleven-year-old Lyhanna in the Gers department, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered all pending reports involving children to be reviewed again. The deadline he set was 14 July.

According to the minister, the initial total of around 70,000 proceedings rose to 88,000 cases. They concern reports of rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence against minors. In 7,452 cases, the allegations involved suspected crimes in which a suspect had already been identified. The aim of the operation was not to reinvestigate every case, but to quickly identify possible delays, missing investigative measures and particularly urgent risks.

A final nationwide official assessment as of 14 July was initially not publicly available. However, the latest known figures show the consequences the review has already had: according to media reports, at least 1,243 suspects had been arrested by 22 June in proceedings involving sexual violence against minors. A total of 134 people were placed in pretrial detention. These measures do not constitute an attribution of guilt; criminal responsibility is decided solely by the courts.

The scale of the operation also reflects the Lyhanna case. The girl disappeared after school in Fleurance on 29 May; her body was found on 4 June. An investigation is under way against a man who had previously been accused in three cases involving sexual offences. The justice, gendarmerie and education inspectorates are examining how earlier warnings and proceedings were handled.

The preliminary inspection report identifies both individual failings and organisational weaknesses. In complex proceedings in particular, information was not always brought together in the way necessary for a reliable assessment of danger. The investigation into the individual case is continuing. For Lyhanna’s family and the relatives of other victims, the question of whether warning signs could have led to protection earlier remains especially painful.

Judges’ associations did not fundamentally oppose the nationwide review, but warned of a time pressure that would be difficult to manage. They point to staff shortages in public prosecutors’ offices and among specialised investigators. Reviewing large volumes of case files may expose gaps, but it cannot replace either sufficient long-term staffing or the careful handling of new reports that arrive every day.

The 14 July deadline therefore marks an interim stage rather than an end. The number of reassessed files indicates the scale of the backlog and the responsibility borne by the institutions. The decisive question will be whether the short-term mobilisation results in permanent procedures: clear priorities in situations of risk, specialised teams and a justice system that does not listen to children only when a case shocks the entire country.