French lawmakers are debating a bill to protect children and combat school violence, prompted by a parliamentary investigation into the Bétharam abuse scandal at a Catholic school. The legislation follows recent probes into alleged mistreatment of children by staff in Paris schools.

French lawmakers are set to debate a bill aimed at protecting children and combatting violence in schools. The legislation was drafted in the wake of a parliamentary investigation into the Bétharram abuse scandal, which exposed decades of mistreatment at a Catholic-run school in southwestern France. It also comes at the same time as Paris investigators probe allegations non-teaching staff recruited by the city mistreated or abused children at dozens of shcools across the capital.