Former Miss France Contestants Claim They Were Sexually Assaulted in Explosive New Book: Reports By Becca Longmire

Multiple former Miss France contestants have spoken out about allegedly being sexually assaulted amid their time in the competition in an explosive new book.

In the recently released Miss France : du rêve à la réalité (Miss France : from Dream to Reality) by author Hubert Guérin, dozens of former contestants and regional elected officials opened up about the sexual violence they allegedly faced, per French newspaper Ouest-France.

Guérin — who served as the deputy to the contest’s former president, Geneviève de Fontenay — wrote about the alleged abuse in the release, according to U.K. newspaper The Times.

“It went from a hand on the bottom or the breasts to rapes or forced oral sex,” the author said, per the outlet.

The book is 489 pages long, with author Guérin wanting to “shed light on the history of the competition beyond the glitz,” according to Le Parisien.

Miss France spoke out about the claims in a press release obtained by PEOPLE. The message was signed by the president of the Miss France Society, Frédéric Gilbert.

The organization stated in the message that it had been made aware of the reported allegations of “sexual violence and violations” on the candidates’ integrity, which allegedly took place between 1990 and 2002.

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The society insisted that if the facts were proven, it would “deeply concern us all,” adding that “any form of sexual violence, abuse or harassment is unacceptable.”

“If these allegations are proven to be true, we express our solidarity and full support for the victims,” the release noted, adding, “The Miss France Society wishes to reaffirm that the competition celebrates women with respect, dignity and kindness.”

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The alleged attackers and victims haven’t been named in the book, per The Times.

One former beauty queen was quoted as saying in the release, “I was the victim of rapes during my year as Miss France,” according to the outlet.

Another allegedly said, “I was raped a few hours after being elected Miss France: in my room, I was pushed against the bed, called every name under the sun and my dress was torn off,” the paper stated.

Camille Cerf, who was Miss France in 2015, was among those commenting on the release on social media, writing in an X post, “I have never spoken with Hubert Guérin, what he says about me is false and completely fabricated.”

“His words are very serious and I do not intend to let him do this,” she added. “During my year and for these 10 years, the Miss France Organization has always protected me,.”

Sylvie Tellier, who was Miss France in 2002 and previously served as the national director of the company, said she hadn’t heard of sexual assaults within the organization while she was there, according to RTL.

“If during my 15 years at the helm of Miss France, I had been informed of harassment, sexual assaults, the first thing I would have done is to encourage them to file a complaint,” she said, per the outlet.

Said Valérie Claisse, who was Miss France in 1994, “In my time, the Misses were less well protected than today … I hope the book will encourage people to speak out and file legal complaints,” according to The Times.

Verone éditions, which published the book, has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment from Guérin about Cerf’s claims.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.