We can only be appalled and angry at the negligence that led to Lyhanna's murder. But hearing Macron and Darmanin shift all the blame onto overworked court clerks and judges is outrageous.

Macron has been at the Élysée Palace since 2017. Darmanin was Minister of the Interior for four years and he has been Minister of Justice for a year and a half. And they bear no responsibility?

They claim to have made a priority of combating violence against children. That’s pretty ridiculous! Both Retailleau and Darmanin are specialized in stirring up public safety fears at the expense of immigrant workers.

To appear strong, they built high-security prisons and toughened the laws, but they never provided the resources that judges requested for their day-to-day work. It would have been less spectacular and undoubtedly have cost too much in the eyes of big business.

They just can’t stop manipulating!

Today, Darmanin is posing as the champion of the protection of women’s and children's rights. He has summoned all the country's chief prosecutors and has ordered them to clear the  the backlog of 70,000 cases, even if it means sacrificing their weekends and vacations. Even more manipulation.

When it comes to violence against women and children, his record is appalling. Reported cases of violence are on the rise. It's estimated that a child is assaulted every three minutes in France and a woman dies at the hands of her partner or ex-partner every three days.

As for child welfare services, they are overwhelmed: there are thousands of children considered to be at risk in their family. They should be in foster care but are not, due to lack of resources. With no follow up available, children in foster care are often victims of further abuse, sometimes even within foster families!

A justice system that is dysfunctional… just like society

There are, of course, things to criticize about the way the justice system operates. Who wasn't shocked upon hearing the testimony of the mother who filed a complaint against Lyhanna's alleged murderer, nine months ago, for the rape of her 11-year-old daughter?

Because she kept insisting on following the progress of the investigation by calling the gendarmerie regularly, she was threatened with prosecution for harassment. That's how ordinary people are treated! Can you imagine a prominent figure or a celebrity getting the same treatment?

It’s a reminder of the way so many women are treated at police stations, and the number of femicides committed by partners or ex-partners supposedly under surveillance. And this isn't solely due to incompetence or a lack of resources.

The justice system and the police aren't separated from society. Judges, investigators and police officers are marked by the same prejudices themselves and by pervasive social contempt. And there are also thieves, rapists and murderers in their very ranks.

Does the population get justice?

“The justice system must protect the people and be accountable to them”, we hear. But the entire machinery of the state – the military, the police, the judiciary – is deliberately kept beyond the control of the ordinary citizens. Asking a police officer for their badge number or criticizing a court decision can be seen as contempt of court and punishable by prosecution.

There's a reason for this: the state isn't here to protect the population. It defends the interests of the wealthiest minority. It ensures that exploitation and inequality continue by prosecuting and repressing protesters. And there's no  shortage of means to prevent or disperse gatherings. How many people have been detained and prosecuted simply for demonstrating!

We cannot expect miracles from this bourgeois justice system, and even less so from the politicians who run it! We won't fight antisocial, individualistic and violent behavior without fundamentally changing society.

Lyhanna's abuser is the father of one of her friends. And how many women, girls and boys are victims of family members or those close to them? These all-too-common crimes don't come from nowhere. The frustration, sexism, and power dynamics that permeate society have dramatic effects on relationships between men and women and between adults and children. These are the roots that must be eradicated.  This can only be done by waging a fundamental struggle against the social order.

Nathalie Arthaud