It was on the 3rd floor of the Ministry of Sports that the cell dedicated to handling cases of sexual violence was created at the request of the minister last December. A little off the cuff, after the revelations from the investigation site Disclose, followed in late January by the testimony of the skater Sarah Abitbol, telling of the rapes she suffered for many years.
With the liberation of speech, testimonies poured in (more than 150), in particular via the cell's email address (signal-sports@sports.gouv.fr). Fabienne Bourdais, the ministerial delegate in charge of the system, deciphers how it works.
Over 150 files since February
Centralize the testimonies, ensure that they reach the ministry as quickly as possible in order to better articulate the procedures (administrative, judicial, disciplinary) to put sexual predators out of harm's way ... The cell claims to be effective "but we don't is not intended to become listeners who respond to victims, devices (such as 119) exist for this, ”warns Fabienne Bourdais.
Until then, the department was aware of the facts "once the investigation had been conducted and had led to the ban on the practice of an educator". Now, the five agents of the cell (two others are being recruited) compile and support the testimonies, with a watchword: "confidentiality". Since February, more than 150 files have arrived. Old and recent cases. “It could be a victim who contacts us ( Editor's note: in this case, she receives in return an educational document with the contact details of associations that can help her ), a sports federation, a club, a parent, a witness, an association … ”
PODCAST. Sexual violence in sport: why Sarah Abitbol breaks the silence
Each time, an acknowledgment of receipt validates the handling of the report. “Certain testimonies evoke extremely precise facts which allow us to launch an administrative investigation very quickly. Others are anonymous and reflect the embarrassment of the person who sent it to us: I was told that, I don't want to keep it to myself… ”
The tedious investigation work
The protection of the victim is the leitmotif of the cell, which, upon receipt of a report, assesses the degree of urgency. If the alleged perpetrator is still in contact with potential victims, a police action can be taken in less than a week. "A measure to protect the public," said the ministerial delegate. The reports are not "bottles to the sea". The agents regularly contact people who give testimony.
“Some of them no longer respond. Because the allegations were unfounded, because we are in the case of a person who ultimately does not want to go further, because that arouses too many things. It is however very important to have a traceability of the exchanges because certain businesses can rebound. "
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As the responsibility for administrative inquiries falls to the Prefects, the information minutely collected by the unit is transmitted to the departmental directorates of social cohesion. A long and painstaking work begins, particularly with the clubs, in order to substantiate the facts, while respecting the rights of the defense. Apart from emergency cases, the administrative investigation lasts approximately 4 months and can lead to a temporary or permanent suspension of the aggressor.
The essential role of federations
If the cell manages the testimonies which reach it, its mission is also to structure the system aiming to track down predators. “Extremely mobile predators who change club, region, status ( Editor's note: from educators to volunteers, the honorability check of the latter is not yet systematic ), even federation. Hence the importance of being structured. “The minister asked each federation to designate a correspondent to fight against sexual violence, in order to build a network. The idea is to adopt a kind of code of conduct ( Editor's note: confidentiality is essential ), which will allow information to be exchanged. "
Capable of identifying the club activities of their licensees, the federations will thus be able to take disciplinary measures, they who sometimes felt that they could not act while a judicial investigation was underway. From now on, administrative police measures taken against an educator or a manager could also be notified to several federations and no longer to the one concerned. This is to avoid a predator taking refuge elsewhere. "This coordination work, we owe it to the victims," sums up Fabienne Bourdais.
