Overview

• On June 25, a collective of 15 former students filed complaints at the Dax prosecutor’s office alleging sexual, physical and psychological abuse at the private institution known as Cendrillon.
• The accusations cover incidents from the 1950s through the 1980s and allege severe corporal punishments, psychological abuse and repeated rapes.
• Three religious figures and one lay staff member have been formally identified as perpetrators of the alleged abuses.
• Prosecutor Benoît Fontaine has met with the victims and will assess the complaints despite many alleged incidents falling outside the statute of limitations.
• Victims say they filed the complaints to expose past abuses and push for measures that prevent similar violence.