A new drama, most certainly still linked to the scourge of harassment. Lindsay, a 13-year-old girl in 5th grade, committed suicide on May 12 at her home in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais). This Thursday, four minors were indicted for "school harassment leading to suicide".
What happened?
Lindsay, a schoolgirl at the Bracke-Desrousseau school in Vendin-le-Vieil, took her own life at home on the evening of Friday, May 12. Before taking action, the girl, who has two little brothers of 4 and 9 years old, had already left a farewell letter, at the beginning of the year, discovered by her relatives, reports Midi Libre.
Lindsay's mother explained on RTL that those responsible for the harassment were "girls" from her school. The facts were reported to the institution and two complaints were filed in February, according to the teen's stepfather. A letter was even sent to the President of the Republic and Brigitte Macron by Lindsay's grandmother to try to alert on the situation.
What do we know about harassment?
According to her relatives, Lindsay had been living a daily hell since the start of the school year in September. "It was repeated insults (...) at school, on social networks. It never ended, "explained his mother on RTL. The uncle of the teenager detailed at the microphone of BFMTV that Lindsay was harassed "in the streets, at school, at home. (...) She was just saying she was used to it." According to him, the facts began with "small insults", then spread to social networks.
đź’¬ "She was being bullied in the streets, at school, at home"
After Lindsay's suicide, her family testifies pic.twitter.com/pALsVOyChb
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) May 25, 2023
They would have taken a more violent turn during the year. The girl's relatives said she was caught in a fight - filmed and broadcast on social networks - in the schoolyard without the supervisors intervening. Lindsay and the other protagonists of this altercation were dismissed for a day, according to the mother of the schoolgirl.
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Lindsay immediately told her loved ones about the situation. "She told me that she was suffering from it, that she could not take it anymore," her mother told RTL. She explained that the teenager's grades, although a good student, had dropped in February. The week before killing herself, "she was in her bubble, she was angry, she resented the whole world," explained her mother, confident that the teenager she was very close to did not want to talk to her about what she was going through.
How was the situation handled?
Lindsay's mother and stepfather made appointments with the facility. The director allegedly told them to confiscate their daughter's phone, so that the online harassment would stop. "We were not even received during the white march (Wednesday), while we made a request," assured the stepfather of the teenager on BFMTV. "We have no communication with the teaching team and the principal," he said.
A "first situation of harassment" had been reported concerning Lindsay, "treated by the establishment," said the rectorate to AFP. It had led to "a harassment commission and the appropriate sanctions had been pronounced", he added. A "student" involved at that time had then left the school.
A judicial investigation was opened on 20 May on charges of "school bullying" with the "effect of deteriorating living conditions impairing health and leading the victim to suicide".
Who are the people indicted?
Four minors were indicted for "school harassment leading to suicide" on Thursday, the Bethune prosecutor said in a statement.
An adult was indicted for "death threats", he added, adding that these five people had been placed under judicial control, in accordance with the requisitions of the prosecutor's office.
Last week, six teenage girls were heard in the case, revealed La Voix du Nord.
