- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
One of France’s most elite Catholic boarding schools, Notre-Dame de Betharram, has become the center of what is being described as the country’s largest school abuse scandal. A parliamentary inquiry launched in February after shocking revelations emerged has gathered harrowing testimonies from victims who endured years of physical and sexual abuse.
The scandal broke after several former pupils, including Pascal Gelie, came forward with disturbing accounts. Gelie, who enrolled at the school at 14 after being inspired by the film Dead Poets Society, was subjected to cruel punishment on his first night. His experience marked the beginning of a traumatic chapter in his life, shared by many others who attended the school located in the Pyrenees near Lourdes.
The inquiry, led by MPs Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, culminated in a report adopted by the French National Assembly on June 25. The full findings, including 50 recommendations to prevent abuse in educational institutions, will be made public on July 2. The investigation has also uncovered abuse at other private schools and children’s homes across the country, exposing a wider failure in the French education system to protect children.
Political Repercussions And Public Outrage
In total, over 200 legal complaints have been filed regarding alleged abuse at Betharram between 1957 and 2004. Ninety of these relate specifically to sexual violence or rape. Two complaints have resulted in charges against a former supervisor for the alleged rape and sexual assault of minors.
Victims have described the school as a “supermarket for sexual predators,” highlighting not only the scale of abuse but also the systemic failure to intervene. The scandal has become politically sensitive as well, implicating former education minister and current Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, whose children attended the school and whose wife taught catechism there. Bayrou has denied knowledge of the abuse, claiming political motives behind the accusations.
The parliamentary committee, chaired by Fatiha Keloua Hachi, unanimously supported the inquiry, underscoring the seriousness of the allegations. As France grapples with what some are calling its #MeTooSchools moment, the victims hope that the report’s recommendations will lead to meaningful reforms in how abuse is prevented and investigated in educational institutions. The forthcoming report is expected to be a damning indictment of the French state’s inaction and a critical step toward justice for the hundreds of survivors still waiting to be heard.