Special 'Salle Mélanie' Supports Child Protection Brigade in Besançon in Interviewing Victims of Sexual Abuse

Besançon – 06/11/2026: In the French city of Besançon, a specially designed “Salle Mélanie” has been established to facilitate the interviewing of children who have been victims of sexual abuse by the Brigade de protection de la famille. This initiative aims to provide young victims with a safe and child-friendly environment in which they can share their experiences.

The “Salle Mélanie” is named after the first young patient who benefited from this procedure. It is designed to convey a sense of security and familiarity to the children. The walls are painted in soft colors, and there are numerous toys, including anatomical dolls and puzzles, to help children name body parts and explain their experiences. This equipment is intended to enable the children to describe their experiences without fear of misunderstanding.

Another important aspect of the “Salle Mélanie” is its technical equipment. The rooms are equipped with cameras and microphones to record the interviews. This serves not only for documentation but also for the protection of the children, as they do not have to repeatedly recount their traumatic experiences. A child psychiatrist can monitor the interview from an adjacent room and intervene if necessary. This approach complies with the provisions of French criminal procedural law, which mandates audiovisual recording of interviews with minor victims in certain cases.

The establishment of the “Salle Mélanie” in Besançon is part of a nationwide program aimed at improving the interviewing of children who have been victims of sexual abuse. Such specially designed rooms have already been set up in other French cities like Saint-Laurent-de-Mure in the Rhône department. This initiative is supported by various organizations and professionals who emphasize the importance of child-appropriate interviewing in order to minimize the burden on young victims while ensuring the quality of the information collected.

The “Salle Mélanie” in Besançon was set up in 2023 on the second floor of the police station of the Brigade de protection de la famille. It is part of the comprehensive approach by French authorities aimed at improving support and protection for children who have been victims of violence. Measures like these seek to give victims a voice and ensure that their experiences are heard and taken into account in criminal proceedings.

The establishment of the “Salle Mélanie” in Besançon marks a significant step in the fight against sexual violence against children. It demonstrates the commitment of French authorities to develop innovative and empathetic methods to meet the needs of victims while improving the quality of investigations. There is hope that this model will be adopted in other regions of France to further strengthen the protection and support of children who have been victims of violence.