AVIGNON – A shocking case out brought international attention to illegal practice of virginity testing and parental control over teenage children.
Parents of a 15-year-old French girl are facing legal action after allegedly attempting to force their daughter into virginity examination after discovering she had a boyfriend.
According to French authorities, the girl’s father who is a professional boxer, discovered his daughter’s relationship in March 2025. After this, he reportedly assaulted her multiple times. The parents then allegedly pressured their daughter to undergo a medical examination to verify her virginity.
The case moved to court in light of severity of such acts under French law. After arguments, the court sentenced mother to three months for “inducing a minor to undergo a medical examination to prove her virginity.”
The father received a six-month suspended sentence and two years probation for failing in his legal duties as a guardian, endangering the child’s protection, health, morality, and education. He also faced charges for “non-injurious violence.”In court, the father claimed the examination was a routine medical procedure, but Public Prosecutor Sarah Heut said that mere intent to carry out such a test constitutes a crime, and that such acts cannot be justified as parental authority.
The case shows critical issues including child protection laws, parental authority limits, medical ethics, adolescent rights, and the legal prohibition of virginity testing in EU.
