Women in Paris took off their clothes in protest after the murder of an 11-year-old French girl, whose alleged killer had been repeatedly reported to police as a sex offender. The protest occurred on Monday, June 8, as more than 60,000 people demonstrated across the country following the killing of Lyhanna.
Topless Protest for Justice
Women's activists went topless from the waist upward, holding placards demanding safety and justice for girls and women. Many called for the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a senior government member. Their outrage stems from the fact that the suspect, 41-year-old Jérôme Barella, had been reported to police in August by the mother of a 10-year-old girl named Rosa, who alleged he had sexually abused her daughter multiple times.
Failure of the Justice System
Medical evidence confirmed the abuse, yet Barella was never questioned by investigators in the nine months following the complaint. The French public believes that if police had contacted the suspect, he would have known he was being watched, potentially preventing Lyhanna's death.
Lyhanna's body was discovered on Thursday, June 4, at a farm about 10 kilometers from Fleurance in southwestern France, where she was last seen six days earlier after school. Barella, the father of a friend of Lyhanna, was taken into custody three days after her disappearance. He denies involvement in her death but admits to taking her in his car to a local swimming pool. When questioned by an investigating judge, he refused to answer any questions.
Prior Cases Ignored
It has emerged that Barella was named in several other cases of alleged sexual abuse in recent years, which should have made the Rosa case a priority but did not. The protest highlights ongoing concerns about the handling of sexual abuse cases in France.
