The trial comes as French activists are pushing to lift taboos that surround sexual abuse. The most prominent case was that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was raped by her now ex-husband and dozens of others.

Starting Monday, a French doctor will be tried on charges of raping and sexually assaulting 299 people over 25 years — almost all his patients, almost all children at the time of the suspected abuse.

Defendant Joël Le Scouarnec's chillingly detailed notebooks —which he used to document sexual violence that spanned decades — are central to the trial.

France is preparing for its largest-ever child abuse trial as a former surgeon stands accused of sexually assaulting 299 children.