PARIS.- The French National Assembly agreed this Thursday to create a commission of investigation to clarify acts of abuse and sexual assaults in it cine and other cultural sectors, after several recent complaints.
The lower house unanimously approved the proposal of actress Judith Godrèche, who accused directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, something they deny.
“The time has come to stop rolling out the red carpet for the aggressors,” said environmentalist deputy Francesca Pasquini, who defended the proposal to create this commission in the chamber.
The decision comes one day after the publication of a book by actress Isild Le Besco about her relationship with Jacquot, which began when she was 16 years old.
Le Besco accuses Jacquot of raping her, but said she is not willing to report him.
Controversy in French cinema
French cinema is experiencing an earthquake following accusations of its silence for years regarding alleged sexual assaults in the industry and symbolized, among others, by the actor Gérard Depardieu.
Depardieu, who is accused of sexual assault by around twenty women, will be tried in October for allegedly assaulting two of them during the filming of the film. Green Shutters in 2021.
The parliamentary investigation commission will, for its part, “evaluate the situation of minors working in the film, audiovisual, performing arts, fashion and advertising sectors,” as well as adults.
Its mission is also: “to identify the mechanisms and deficiencies that allow these possible abuses and violence”, “to establish responsibilities and issue recommendations” on possible responses.
Judith Godrèche, who appeared before the Senate at the end of February and before the National Assembly in March, asked the members of both chambers to create a commission of inquiry.
“Are we going to remain silent? I count on you, I count on you to protect children, to stop sending them to the movies unprotected,” he urged the legislators.
Source: AFP
