For decades, pupils at the children's village of Riaumont, in northern France, run by Catholic monks and priests, were abused: until 2019, thousands of children suffered beatings, forced labor and sexual violence.
In 2018, police estimated that more than one child per week dies in France as a result of parental beatings. To avoid these tragedies the ASE educators, the children's judges, the juvenile brigades must take action. Director Sabrina Van Tassel follows key moments concerning the abused children, such as the reports and the placements in foster care. Can we recover from a childhood marked by abuse?
In April of last year, the mother of a child voluntarily reported child abuse to the police. Monitoring for over a year, a mother who confessed her wrongdoing, the film acts not as an investigative agency, but as a disinterested party which records the point where daily discipline turns into abuse.
