This Thursday, November 7, is National Day Against School Bullying. In the Somme department, the public prosecutor's office, the rectorate, the Departmental Council and the Regional Council are taking the opportunity to announce an innovation.
Over the first seven months of 2024, 71 reports of school harassment were reported to the public prosecutor. So many investigations launched, which take time without the situation being resolved immediately.
This is why the public prosecutor (Jean-Philippe Vincentini, editor's note) had an idea: bring together the stakeholders in schools so that they can intervene as quickly as possible.
Rapid intervention to stop harassment
Concretely, as soon as a case of harassment arrives at the prosecutor's office (via National Education or a letter sent directly by third parties), a substitute analyzes the case. If the harassment is proven, he contacts the referent with the rector of the academy but also with the Department (if the case is in a college) or the Region (if the case is in a high school) for collegial intervention. “but outside the establishment which remains sacred”, specifies Jean-Philippe Vincentini.
The three of them will summon the perpetrator of the harassment, his “civilly responsible” and the victim: “The goal of these three speakers is for the harassment to stop as quickly as possible. There is no single answer, you will have to adapt to each case. This is done in parallel with the judicial investigation and without hindering the latter. We had to see what could be invented to go faster,” assures the Prosecutor.
For Pierre Moya, the rector of the Amiens academy, we must continue to commit ourselves “against this scourge. There is a desire to act even more quickly. We are putting in place the resources with three mobilized people.”
“We will succeed in eradicating this scourge”
Pierre Moya, rector of the Amiens academy.
Stéphane Haussoulier (president of the Departmental Council) and Xavier Bertrand (president of the Regional Council) also welcome this novelty: “It is a mass phenomenon which affects 700,000 students in France. The situations are not easily seen. Our staff, at reception or in the canteens, are trained to manage these situations. Within its powers, the Department must take care of the premises of middle school students. It's important, of course. But providing additional services gives meaning to public affairs.”
“Harassment can start on the school bus and even continue all the way home. Wherever there are facts, this must stop. Justice seeks to be in direct contact with society. He needs partners. This is why we immediately responded“, adds Xavier Bertrand.
“Young people are abandoned in their solitude. We have to break this.”
Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council.
According to the Prosecutor, the fight against harassment is similar to the fight against domestic violence: “This scourge is quite recent. Furthermore, we realize that there are people who knew, who had seen, who said nothing, who let it happen.”
Stéphane Haussoulier remembers that, as a child, he had “a fear when getting on the school bus that took me from Saigneville to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, because the adults scared me. Harassment needs to be talked about.”
Finally, Xavier Bertrand praises this innovation but intends to go further: “I want that in the five departments of Hauts-de-France!”
Ambassadors testify
Before the signing of the agreement linking the public prosecutor's office, the Rectorate, the Department and the Region, several anti-harassment ambassadors from the Robert de Luzarches high school in Amiens spoke : “We realize that it is easier for a student to speak to another student than to an adult directly. Then, we pass the information on to management who follows the protocol” explained the three young high school girls.
