“Act at the source”.
With the launch of the national helpline for pedophiles, France is catching up on the prevention of pedophilia.
The system is being extended to the entire territory from Monday, after a year of experimentation in several regions.
Free and confidential, the line is not an anti-recidivism device.
On the contrary, it targets people who fear a first act:
"The single number targets a vulnerable population (suffering and / or / therefore at risk) and thus provides a response in terms of prevention"
, explains psychiatrist Anne -Hélène Moncany, president of the French Federation of Resource Centers for Interveners with Authors of Sexual Violence (CRIAVS).
"The number is not addressed to" criminals ", but to anyone who feels a disorder, a sexual attraction to children",
details Cécile Miele, psychologist at CRIAV Clermont-Ferrand.
"
These disorders are listed as psychiatric pathologies, which can and must be taken care of ”.
At the end of 0 806 23 10 63, the person who calls enters their postal code, then is directed to a CRIAVS, where they are heard by a health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, sexologist) specially trained.
After discussion, the worker suggests setting up a suitable course of care: psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs, hormonal treatment ...
“The line allows you to establish a first contact, which is the most difficult to establish.
We create an initial alliance between the caregiver and the patient in order to be able to set up therapy, ”
explains Cécile Miele.
“Shame prevents them from asking for help.
So the risk factor is not taken care of.
This is where there can be acting out. ”
1000 calls during the test phase
Measure of the plan to fight against violence against children carried by the Secretary of State in charge of child protection Adrien Taquet, the device was launched in November 2019 in the test phase in several regions (Provence-Alpes- Côte d'Azur, Center-Val-de-Loire, Occitanie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Aquitaine).
It was then extended last spring to Ile-de-France and Grand-Est, the context of confinement giving rise to fears among professionals of an increase in the consumption of child pornography images.
Verdict: more than 1000 calls were made, for around 300 people taken care of in a few months.
"Our experience feedback shows that the device has met a need in the management of pedophile disorders"
, greets the psychologist.
“We formalize the fact that these people have the right and the possibility of being treated, and that there are suitable solutions.
"
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This clinical approach to pedophilia is shaking up the usual patterns in France, where treatments are generally implemented in parallel with legal proceedings, and therefore, after the act has been taken, explains Cécile Miele.
“It's a complicated subject, to hear and understand, because this reversal of perspective requires a certain 'empathy'.
This is why there are specially trained professionals ”.
Similar platforms have existed for about twenty years in Great Britain and Germany, where 9,515 telephone contacts were recorded in March 2018. Among them, more than half feared an act and registered for therapy.
According to a study by Volet, Courvoisier and Aebi (2011), 55% of people who have used these devices abroad had already sought prior professional help, without success.