Trailer for the docu-series "The Otero Affair: The Blindness"/Netflix
Are there children lying when they say they were sexually abused?
The short answer is "yes", the more comprehensive and scary answer is "almost not".
According to studies conducted in recent years in the United States, only between 2 and 8 percent of the complaints of children who tell about exploitation turn out to be serious.
In other words, when a child complains of sexual assault, the reasonable expectation is that he is telling the truth.
And here's an exercise in logic: if this is indeed the case, what happens when 12 children report that no less than 18 adults raped them, committed acts of sodomy on them and provide other horrible descriptions that shake the imagination and stir the mind?
After all, the probability that it happened and that all 18 were complicit in the acts is almost 100 percent.
"Almost" is the right word.
"The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare" (The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare) is a four-part docu that recently appeared on Netflix and returns to one of the most shocking cases France has known.
Between 1997 and 2000, a series of shocking pedophilia incidents took place in the town of Otero in the north of the country.
In 2001, a case was revealed by the welfare authorities, which led to the investigation of more than 50 people and the imprisonment of 18 of them.
The facts, apparently, were clear: children reported obscene acts and horrific assaults by their parents and friends, the monstrous network only kept growing.
The descriptions of the children were similar, so there was reason to believe that the entire town was infected with pedophilia.
An investigating judge was appointed to the case, and in the end all the accused were put on trial.
Worrying, but not for the reason you thought.
From "The Otero Affair: The Blindness"/Netflix
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As already hinted at at the beginning of the series, this is not a definite blanket conviction.
Why yes?
In a legal system with a very problematic system, in scandalous procedures tainted with prejudices, and in further proof that even the highest-ranking lawyers do not escape cognitive bias.
First, it is necessary to understand how the legal system works in France.
The country is governed by the inquisitorial system, and if that sounds scary to you - it is indeed a cause for concern, but not for the reasons you thought.
No one gets on a torture wheel or is placed on a brace that will slowly shred their organs.
An inquisition in its simplest meaning is an investigation.
According to the system, in complex cases a judge is appointed whose role is not to hear the parties and decide, but rather he actively works to find evidence and determine whether it is indeed appropriate to put the accused on trial.
The judge, it is worth noting, does not function as a prosecutor or defense attorney.
He does investigate to lead to the truth.
Fabrice Borgo, a young judge, was appointed to the Otero case, who decided that there was enough evidence placed before him to bring all 18 defendants to justice.
Apparently he also did not understand what a storm his decision would create and did not know that this case would be called "Chernobyl of the judicial system" in the future.
More in Walla!
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"Chernobyl of the judicial system".
From "The Otero Affair: The Blindness"/Netflix
"The Otro Affair: The Blindness" is not an easy docu to watch, and not only because of the horrifying descriptions of the rapes committed on children, but also because of its monotony in a significant part of its stages, with long and dreary interviews, as is often the case in this type of series.
However, the series is worth watching because it provides quite a few insights into what we know and don't know about the legal world, and not just the French one, illustrates the complexity of investigating children and putting them on the stand (the thought of refuting the testimony of a child who says he was sexually abused is almost impossible, and for that the advocates of the parents also speak) and draws a multitude of test cases that have nourished the field of psychology and social work for two decades.
And it is impossible, especially in the reality that was established here until October 6 and has been injured again in recent weeks, not to refer to the Israeli point of view in the story.
Otero's case is a kind of triumphant proof for both supporters of legal reform and its opponents - it's all about perspective.
Those who support it can point out that any judicial activism must be uprooted and allow the judge to rule based on facts alone without interpretation, while the opponents will argue that the doku only reinforces the adversarial system that is used in the Israeli judicial system, in which the judge's role from the outset is to decide, therefore judicial activism has serious limitations anyway .
One way or another, the Otro affair shocked France and led to a poignant reckoning and a rift between the nation and its justice system.
What has really changed since then and can it be guaranteed that such cases will not occur in the future?
History proves that it is not worth building on this.
All episodes of "The Otero Affair: The Blindness" are available on Netflix.
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