Institutional Pedocriminality in France (1980‑2025) : Mechanisms of Denial, Systemic Impunity, and the Ethical Refoundation of Child Protection

Abstract Since the 1980s, France has faced a series of recurring crises involving sexual violence against minors within institutions charged with their protection : the Child Welfare System (ASE), the judiciary, the National Education system, and the armed forces.High‑profile cases such as the Coral affair, the Pierre‑Alain Cottineau case, or that of the Dijon magistrate Olivier Bailly have exposed what can be described as institutional pedocriminality: a system in which public agencies, through denial, hierarchical loyalty, and concern for institutional reputation, have tolerated or minimized abuse committed against children. This study draws on the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu (symbolic violence, fields of power), the political philosophy of Michel Foucault (discipline, surveillance, control), and the ethics of responsibility developed by Paul Ricœur (recognition, collective memory, moral repair).Combined with material from the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (CIIVISE, 2021–2024), parliamentary reports, and investigative journalism, these frameworks illuminate how failures within the ASE, the education system, the judiciary, and the military reflect a structural crisis in the French child‑protection system. In response, the article proposes an ethical and organizational overhaul grounded in collective responsibility : strengthening counter‑powers, mandatory professional training, the public recognition of victims, and the independence of oversight mechanisms.Such a transformation (anchored in social memory, transparency, and accountability) constitutes the foundation for sustainable prevention and a genuine restoration of public trust in the institutions meant to protect children. Keywords Institutional pedocriminality, child protection, Child Welfare System (ASE), French National Education, French Army, sexual violence against minors, institutional culture of silence, structural dysfunctions, administrative impunity, collective responsibility, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Paul Ricœur, CIIVISE (Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children), institutional memory and public transparency