Backed by 120 co-signatories from MPs and uninterrupted lobbying of the government, the bill introduced by MP Karine Lebon was adopted this Tuesday afternoon, January 20, 2026, in the Social Affairs Committee (Photo: sly/www.imazpress.com)
"This is a major first step towards the recognition and financial compensation of survivors and their families. The adoption of the text will have to be confirmed next week in the National Assembly chamber," the MP emphasizes.
Following numerous hearings involving former miners who were relocated, historians, experts, institutions and political figures, the initial text was able to evolve favorably towards a draft of "compromise, without giving up the essentials: truth, dignity, rights".
"The hard work of the survivors and associations has finally paid off. An immense joy, commensurate with the decades of silence. Because these children, torn from Reunion Island and then sent to mainland France, suffered uprooting, the breaking of family ties, brutal placements, sometimes mistreatment, exploitation, humiliation and stigmatization. Many grew up far from their bearings and still bear the social, psychological and family consequences of this policy today," the elected official recalls.
"This adoption in committee is proof that perseverance can move the Republic forward. We are not erasing the wounds, but we are finally opening a path to justice and reparation," says Karine Lebon.
