An action plan against gender-based and sexual violence in universities and grandes écoles, funded to the tune of 7 million euros over five years, so that "
fear changes sides
".
This was announced a few days ago by the Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal.
An announcement made a week after the revelation of a hundred facts of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape in 2020-2021 at CentraleSupélec, which prompted the opening of a preliminary investigation.
The management of the prestigious engineering school asked the Çapèse association - which promotes gender equity on campus - this summer to conduct a survey among students to measure situations of gender-based and sexual violence.
Read also
After the scandals, Sciences Po is looking for leads against sexual violence
20 women and 8 men had notably declared having been raped during the past year. "
Astonishing
"
results
according to the director, Romain Soubeyran, even though the school is "
committed for a long time
" on the subject and has received "
no report
". "
We thought that the action of our unit and of the student associations (...) was sufficient
", he specified.
So the word would not have been released?
In July, a few months after the Duhamel and #SciencesPorcs affair, this wave of testimonies, on social networks, from students, witnesses or victims of attacks at Sciences Po, a report from the General Inspectorate pointed to major flaws in the mechanisms for reporting and protecting victims, as well as a “
feeling of impunity”
.
Among the 89 reports recorded between 2019 and 2021 in the IEPs, only 16% resulted in disciplinary proceedings in the establishments.
Listening cells must be made compulsory
Mélanie Luce, president of UNEF
What does this plan of Frédérique Vidal provide?
Reporting systems will be strengthened, thanks to a specific “
legal support
” unit within the ministry, to support victims in filing complaints.
Many establishments already have listening cells, but they are
"very little used",
insisted the minister on October 15 on Franceinfo.
"We must make the listening cells compulsory
," said Mélanie Luce to UNEF, who recalls that in June 2020, 42% of universities did not mention it on their website.
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Frédérique Vidal: "Other people linked to Sciences Po could also have spoken, acted, but did nothing"
The ministry is also planning a training and awareness-raising plan for all the players, in particular the collection of voices. Students will follow an online training module. “
Making a plan is always good. If it is ambitious, it is even better
", summarizes the UNEF, estimating that 7 million euros, it is"
largely insufficient
". The student union also calls for
"a national framework"
of the disciplinary committees, which, for the time being "
do not sanction sexist behavior
".
In the field, the actors are also getting organized.
On October 15, the Grenoble prosecutor's office signed a partnership agreement with local higher education establishments, the police and the France Victimes association in order to set up "
a secure legal framework to take charge of reports
".
An initiative inspired by the system put in place by the prosecutor's office in Amiens, in the Somme.
