Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Saturday 18 July 2026, Amnesty International Luxembourg, Innocence en Danger Luxembourg and La Voix des Survivant·e·s, all non-governmental organisations, organised a demonstration calling for a radical and urgent reform of youth protection in Luxembourg.
The demonstration brought together around 200 people. It started at Place Hamilius and proceeded to the Cité Judiciaire on the Plateau du Saint-Esprit in Luxembourg-Ville. As previously invited, participants brought teddy bears and other soft toys as symbols of children waiting for protection, to be heard and to be respected.
The organisers referred to a previous statement by Luxembourg’s Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue and Luxembourg’s Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden, who stated: "Every week in Luxembourg, two cases of indecent assault are reported and, on average, one complaint of rape involving a minor is filed every eight days. In addition, 493 cases of assault and battery were recorded in 2023".
The demonstration aimed to voice the concern that children's voices continue to be insufficiently heard and that numerous systemic failures prevent child victims of violence from being adequately protected.
The organisers cited issues including allegations of parental alienation, the omission of medical evidence, repeated transfers between care homes or to the parent suspected of violence, and excessively long judicial proceedings.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Ana Pinto, President of La Voix des Survivant·e·s, said: "We want people to pay attention because we have a real problem with the protection of children here in Luxembourg. Too often, when mothers or fathers report that a child is being abused, they fear the authorities will take the child away instead of protecting them. We have a lot of cases of child abuse here and nobody cares."
Eolia Verstichel, Vice-President of Innocence en Danger Luxembourg, added: "We are here today to ask for protection for children who are victims of violence and sexual violence because they are not protected enough. When a child speaks, they are often not believed. Instead, the child is considered to have been manipulated and the concept of parental alienation is used to claim the child is lying. As a result, children who are victims of sexual violence can end up being placed either with the parent who is the presumed aggressor or in an institution."
Esmeralda Wirtz, Mobilisation Officer at Amnesty International Luxembourg, concluded: "Even after a complaint is filed, the road to justice is still long. Children are often not heard, not believed, not trusted and not properly involved in the legal process. Access to justice is very difficult and some children are even placed in shelters or with the parent accused of violence. That is why we are protesting today."
