Starting this fall, ten million students, from kindergarten to their final year of high school, will have to answer new questions about gender-based and sexual violence. These questions will be included in the annual questionnaire on school bullying. The system will initially be anonymous, but each child will be able to provide their name if they wish to meet with a trusted adult and report a personal situation.
This measure comes ten months after revelations of sexual abuse in Parisian after-school programs, which led to the suspension of dozens of activity leaders. Education Minister Édouard Geffray believes the results could be "seismic," noting that one in ten children in France is a victim of sexual violence. The Ministry of Education had already reported 88,000 cases of concerning violence or parental neglect the previous year.
A system that forces the state to prepare for the future
The questionnaire must be developed in collaboration with school staff, parent associations, and a committee of experts including child psychiatrists. The challenge will be to formulate questions appropriate for the students' age and to train the adults likely to receive their disclosures. A national database listing individuals banned from school premises is also being considered, while an assistant to the ombudsman has been appointed to oversee child protection.
The first results are expected in November and could reveal a significant number of previously unknown situations. The success of the system will therefore depend not only on the questionnaire, but also on the ability of school, social, and judicial services to respond quickly to reports. By giving students a massive voice, the government risks exposing the system's flaws, but above all, it must demonstrate that it has the necessary resources to protect and support victims.
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