Duhamel affair: a "surge" of testimonies from associations fighting against incest

Will there be a “

before

” and an “

after

” the Duhamel affair?

For associations supporting incest victims, one observation is already certain: in a few days, the testimonies exploded, less than two weeks after the publication of Camille Kouchner's book accusing her father-in-law of abuse of his twin brother.

"

There is an effect of liberation of speech

", welcomes Laurent Boyet, founder of the association Les Papillons according to which 165,000 children are victims of rape and sexual assault each year, or one child every three minutes.

"

On Messenger, Twitter, by

the form

from the site or even by SMS, I am contacted from all sides to recount events dating back several decades.

Between Saturday and Sunday, I received nearly 80 messages,

”says the president.

"

With, always, the fear of public speech

."

Read also: #MeTooInceste: thousands of testimonies after the Duhamel affair

On social networks, the hashtag #MeTooInceste, inspired by the #Metoo movement, has already generated thousands of testimonials.

“

When you experience such a thing, you generally feel marginalized and you fight alone.

Hence the strength of public testimonies,

”explains Anne-Cécile Collet, involved in the association Les Papillons, and also a victim of incest between the ages of 9 and 11.

“

This is the first time I have posted a tweet in my life.

But seeing this movement on social networks, I did not hesitate.

Even if it takes a lot of courage,

”she confides, whereas more than 25 years ago, her complaint for rapes against the director of the colony had led to a dismissal.

In a few hours, her post in which she denounces a director of an outdoor center in Paris has been shared several thousand times.

"S

ince the revelations of Camille Kouchner, it is a real surge which we face

", declares in turn Homayra Sellier, president of the NGO Innocence in Danger (IED) which acts in eleven countries against the sexual abuse of minors .

“

Unfortunately, the people who contact us are those for whom the legal remedy has been unsuccessful.

Some have left France following their history, and call us from the United States or Australia to tell us how much the Duhamel affair seems to them to be a salutary awareness

”.

Questioning

Nothing would really be new, however, in this wave of reports, while an Ipsos survey revealed in November 2020 that one in 10 French people, or 6.7 million people, claims to have been a victim of incest.

“

The figures are known to all,

” denounces Homayra Sellier.

“

But France is pedoland.

There is an omerta regarding sex with children, and has been for several decades.

The French must look themselves in the face and question themselves, collectively

””.

To read also: "It was bullshit": Jack Lang regrets having signed a forum defending pedophilia

“

Until very recently, any 11-year-old child could be considered to consent in the event of sexual intercourse.

This only exists in France!

», Protests in turn the president of the association Le Monde à Travers un Regard, which has also seen the phone calls multiply exponentially in recent days.

"

Provided that the Duhamel affair does not remain a mere wave

".

Good hope

As for the concrete effects of this awareness, the associations are unanimous.

“

We have been sounding the alarm bells for years.

The ball is in the state's

court, ”said Homayra Sellier.

Created last December for two years, the Commission on Incest has not been very convincing, associations regretting that the victims are not part of it.

“

Of course, their words are full of emotions, but they have things to say that can complement the opinion of doctors and lawyers,

” says Laurent Boyet.

Especially since its implementation was postponed to several weeks after the president-designate, Elisabeth Guigou, resigned because of her links with Olivier Duhamel.

Read also: The commission on incest taken aback

In this context, will the Duhamel affair change the situation? “

I hope so, but it will depend on our society: is it ready to welcome this flood of testimonies? Most importantly, is she able to look at herself in the mirror with honesty?

“Asks Laurent Boyet. “

I see that people are more daring to speak in public. And that is already a great victory

”. Some associations are already using the impact of the case to advocate. Thus, the association Enfant Bleu proposed this Monday the creation of a new legal notion of “

crimes against childhood

”. For its part, the Butterflies association wishes to return to the charge to install letterboxes in schools and sports halls, so that children can slip a word into them. “

It already works in some colleges, but we come up against the National Education and the directors of establishments who often show ill will. With the Duhamel affair, we are optimistic that this will change

”.