France’s Largest Child Sex Abuse Trial Begins for Ex-Surgeon Accused of Abusing 299 Victims

Joël Le Scouarnec, a former surgeon, faces charges of decades-long abuse of patients and others, with activists calling for systemic change in protecting victims.

• Joël Le Scouarnec, a 74-year-old former surgeon, is accused of sexually abusing or raping 299 individuals, predominantly children, over a span of decades.
• The trial, held in Vannes, Brittany, is expected to last four months and centers on detailed notebooks where Le Scouarnec documented his alleged crimes.
• The abuse reportedly occurred between 1989 and 2014, with victims averaging 11 years old, including patients in hospital rooms where he disguised abuse as medical procedures.
• A 2017 complaint by a young neighbor led to the discovery of extensive evidence, including 300,000 photos and explicit video files, alongside his prior 2020 conviction for abusing four children.
• Activists and child protection groups are using the trial to push for cultural and systemic reforms to better safeguard victims and hold institutions accountable for past failures.

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