With an annual budget of several billion euros, child protection is a leading social issue here, second only to education. And yet the sum doesn’t amount to much for these fragile youths, who struggle with the double trauma of losing their family before being propelled into the country’s placement scheme, resulting in a life of instability at best, and neglect and abuse at its worst. To tell us more about the failings of France’s child protection system, we meet former foster-child-turned-author-and-activist Lyes Louffok.

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