What do you see in harassment cases?
The consequences are serious on a psychological level: suicide attempts, scarification, anorexia, depression… It is absolutely necessary to avoid withdrawing into oneself, because the child sometimes experiences it as a shame, at the age when he is developing.
Can we directly contact a lawyer in the event of school bullying, when the academic approach is insufficient?
We are in a profession that involves a lot of “sorting”. We always recommend starting with support at the establishment level. In criminal matters, we will direct you to file a complaint at the police station to place acts of harassment of minors on minors in the hands of the prosecutor. Recently, the lawyer can take responsibility for filing a complaint, or accompany the victim by emphasizing the seriousness of the situation, so that the judicial system can get started. When faced with a child who is feeling really bad, a good lawyer will do this job. Until now, this was not possible. Evidence still needs to exist, medical certificates to describe the state of health of the harassed child, especially if he or she has been physically harassed, messages received on social networks, screenshots. , etc. The role of the lawyer will be to put sufficiently strong pressure on the prosecutor, on the seriousness of the facts.
For what consequences?
On the criminal level, the repressive response is very weak. These are children who are sometimes only 13 years old! There is no question of custody for minors, but the prosecutor can ask the juvenile judge to order measures which can only be educational but which can go as far as placement. When the facts are serious, when the courts are seized, the children's judge does his job.
What do you think of the work of the justice system in matters of harassment between minors?
I tend to work on major criminal cases or correctional files. Some colleagues have taken up this issue more, but I am certain of one thing: apart from very serious cases, there is not much movement! Unless the minor is being prosecuted for attempted murder, that's very different! The qualification is very complicated and the justice system especially lacks resources.
What sanction works best to stop harassment?
Without a doubt, it is exclusion from the establishment. Disciplinary sanctions taken within the school establishment are the most effective. I advise parents not to incur legal fees, and to resolve the problem within the school, college or high school. Criminal prosecution should only be the last resort.
