Background
Zahia Dehar was born in Ghriss, Algeria, on 25 February 1992. When she moved to Champigny-sur-Marne, France with her mother and younger brother at the age of 10, she spoke no French. Her father, Hacène Dehar, still lives in Algeria.
Zahia Dehar was born in Ghriss, Algeria, on 25 February 1992. When she moved to Champigny-sur-Marne, France with her mother and younger brother at the age of 10, she spoke no French. Her father, Hacène Dehar, still lives in Algeria.
In 2008, Dehar, who was then under 18, was allegedly paid for sex by Sebastian Ariza Medina, and by Franck Ribéry and Karim Benzema, the latter two of whom were players on the French national football team The age of consent in France is 15, but prostitution is legal only if the worker is over the age of 18. The then-current French national team manager Raymond Domenech cited Benzema"s struggle for form with his new club Real Madrid rather than his alleged involvement in the sex scandal as his reason for excluding the striker from the squad.
If convicted, the players would have faced up to three years in prison and a €45,000 fine each, while Dehar faced no criminal charges, as prostituting oneself is not a crime under French law.
In November 2011, prosecutors asked for the cases against Ribéry and Benzema be dropped, saying that the players were not aware that Dehar was a minor. Dehar"s involvement in the scandal and other acts, such as posting indiscreet photos on Twitter, have earned her the nickname la scandaleuse ("the scandalous one") in the French press