France to tighten laws on Incest, says President Marcron

A book has sparked outrage in France. Recently published book accuses a top French political commentator of abusing his stepson. President Emmanuel Macron assures the country that France will tighten its laws on incest and we will go after agressors. In  a series of tweets he said that France needs to adapt its laws to better protect children from sexual violence and he had asked the justice minister to chair a consultation aimed at quickly making legislative proposals. Macron said France had already increased the statute of limitations on incest to 30 years, counted from the legal age of majority of the victim, and had tightened controls on people working with children, but he said much more needed to be done.

He said that as part of current routine medical examinations for children, France would introduce sessions about incest in primary and secondary schools in order to give children a chance to talk about the issue. He also said that better psychological help for victims of incest would be made available and it would be reimbursed by social security. In recent weeks, hundreds of people have taken to social media to tell their stories of incest after the publication of the book accusing French professor and constitutional specialist Olivier Duhamel of abusing his stepson.

The book was written by Duhamel’s stepdaughter Camille Kouchner, daughter of former foreign minister and founder of NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres Bernard Kouchner. Duhamel resigned earlier this month from his post overseeing Sciences Po, one of France’s top universities, following publication of the book. Higher Education Minister Frederique Vidal has ordered an inspection at Sciences Po to determine responsibilities and potential failings.