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PoliticsFrench National Assembly adopts child protection bill with life imprisonment for serial rape of minors under 15
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On July 21, 2026, the French National Assembly adopted the 'child protection' bill in first reading with 378 votes in favor and 7 against. The bill includes a government-backed amendment providing for life imprisonment for serial rape of minors under 15, which passed with 258 votes in favor and 84 against. This measure had been rejected earlier during the first reading on July 15-17 due to opposition from left-wing deputies who denounced it as a repressive measure masking insufficient resources for investigations and prevention. The text also includes the imprescriptibility of sexual crimes against minors, adopted via an amendment by deputy Arnaud Bonnet on July 16. The bill was opposed by left-wing groups including Socialists, The Ecologists, La France Insoumise, and the Democratic and Republican Left group, who described it as a 'catch-all' text. It was supported by centrist and right-wing groups, as well as far-right parties including the National Rally.
Source report
A screen displays the result of an official vote by deputies on the bill relating to child protection, at the National Assembly, in Paris, on July 21, 2026. Credit: ABDUL SABOOR/REUTERS
Vote Results
Deputies adopted the "child protection" bill in first reading on Tuesday, July 21, with 378 votes in favor and 7 against during a solemn vote at the National Assembly.
Prior to the final vote, deputies approved a government-backed amendment—introduced in the wake of Lyhanna's death—that provides for life imprisonment for serial rape of minors under 15. That amendment passed with 258 votes in favor and 84 against.
Key Provisions
The first reading examination of the bill took place from July 15 to 17. Key measures include:
- Life imprisonment for serial rape of minors under 15
- Imprescriptibility of sexual crimes committed against minors—currently reserved for crimes against humanity
The imprescriptibility measure, which was not included in the initial bill, was adopted on July 16 with 93 votes in favor and 51 against, following an amendment by deputy Arnaud Bonnet (Seine-et-Marne, The Ecologists).
Political Divisions
Opposition to the Bill
The left, more mobilized in the chamber, rejected the life sentence provision, denouncing it as a repressive measure intended to mask insufficient resources allocated to investigations and prevention of sexual violence.
The following groups did not support the text during the solemn vote:
- The Socialist group
- The Ecologists
- La France insoumise (LFI)
- The Democratic and Republican Left group
Many deputies left the chamber before the vote. Marianne Maximi (LFI, Puy-de-Dôme), co-rapporteur of the text, described the bill as a "catch-all" that "does not respond to any demand from the child protection sector", despite "a few small advances".
Support for the Bill
Groups that voted in favor included:
- Together for the Republic
- Republican Right
- The Democrats
- Horizons & Independents
- Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories
On the far right, both the Union of the Right for the Republic and the National Rally also voted in favor.
Read also:
- Imprescriptibility of crimes against minors, rejection of life imprisonment for serial rape… Deputies modify the child protection bill
- Child protection: "A purely technical law, as we are about to adopt it, will not be enough"
Le Monde
Source
Politique : Toute l’actualité sur Le Monde.fr.Western
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French National Assembly Adopts Child Protection Bill with Life Imprisonment for Serial Rape of Minors Under 15