France has just recognized its moral responsibility in the mistreatment suffered by the "Children of the Creuse", these young Reunionese sent by force to mainland France between 1962 and 1984. As reparation, the State has financed a trip to Reunion for 70 of them.

A reunion necessarily very strong in emotion.

REPORTAGE

"I can't forgive them."

Throat knotted and voice trembling, Marlène arrives at Saint-Denis airport in Reunion Island to find her 60-year-old sister, whom she has not seen for decades.

Like 2,000 other Reunionese, Marlène is part of the "Children of the Creuse", these young people who were torn from their families and sent to mainland France between 1962 and 1984 to repopulate the countryside.

Aged 15 at the time, Marlène went from the beaches of Reunion to a convent in Guéret, in the Creuse, in the middle of January in just a few days.

"We were the maids"

But as for other young people, the experience turns sour.

"We were the nuns to do everything", she testifies at the microphone of Europe 1. Gardening, washing clothes, ironing ... "it was slavery", says Marlène, very moved when she sees her sister Maryline, bouquet of flowers in her hand.

Despite the joy of the reunion, Marlène remains bitter: "We will never make up for lost time, it's unfortunate that we were subjected to this. I can't forgive them, you can see the state in which I am. "

While the words are strangled by emotion, Marlene explains to her sister that they have been separated on "[their] island".

And if Maryline is now 60 years old, this separation took place when she was too small to remember it. 

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"There were also rapes"

And Marlène's ordeal is far from being the worst, according to Valérie Hantant, spokesperson for the "Children of the Creuse".

"There have also been rapes of girls and boys," she said, referring to "inhuman journeys, we will never repair what has been broken". 

If Marlène can now find her sister, it is because France has recognized its moral responsibility in the mistreatment suffered by some of these "Children of the Creuse".

By way of reparation, the State therefore financed the plane tickets of 70 Reunionese to enable them to find their biological families.

And if the wound of these "Children of the Creuse" will probably never be able to heal, they will take advantage of their return to their native land to ask the State for full support for a similar trip at least once a year. year.