Justice for a Three-Year-Old: A National Outcry
By Salem Trabelsi
Were it not for the courage of the mother who dared to file a complaint, reveal the truth, and demand justice for her son, the case would have likely been closed in the muted indifference of administrative corridors. For nearly fifteen days, neither the justice system, nor certain ministerial officials, nor even the delegates responsible for child protection had truly given the signal for mobilization on a scale commensurate with the gravity of the facts. It took the case becoming a national shock, a collective cry — "Oh justice!" — for the judicial machine to spring into action in a matter of hours. Suddenly, the mechanisms exist. Suddenly, custody orders are issued by the prosecutor's office near the court of first instance in Ariana. Suddenly, closure procedures are initiated by the concerned ministry. Mystery and eraser. This belated speed proves one thing: the legal instruments are there, as are the people of good will. However, the will must be exercised without waiting for public outcry. The Ennasr kindergarten case, with its suspicions of sexual assault on a three-year-old child, continues to shake the country. Rumors evoke troubling connections that the establishment's manager may have benefited from, allowing her to leave the territory before the crackdown. If this were to be proven, the question would no longer be just criminal; it would become institutional. An entire country is waiting for justice. Thousands of parents, who entrust their most precious possessions to educational structures every morning, demand to be reassured. But beyond the interrogations, a question remains, haunting: what is a photography, video, and editing studio doing above a kindergarten? And why are children allowed to cross its threshold? This case cannot be hastily closed. It engages our collective vigilance and our very conception of child protection. Justice is expected — not as a symbolic gesture, but as a firm, exemplary, and definitive response. Read also: Physical abuse of a child: closure of the Enasr kindergarten
