A series of military testimonies recently published in the media have shed light on the phenomenon. This Friday, the Minister of the Armed Forces reacted by announcing the launch of an inspection mission on sexual violence in the army.
“We have mandated the General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces to carry out a mission on all prevention measures, protection of victims and sanction of attackers,” wrote Sébastien Lecornu, in a joint forum with the Secretary of Defense. State for Veterans Patricia Miralles, published in the daily The world.
Strengthen prevention measures
This mission, which will submit its report at the end of May, should make it possible to improve the care of the victim, analyze disciplinary treatment and the consistency of sanctions against the attackers and strengthen prevention measures, according to the forum.
From now on, moreover, “each time there is a suspicion of rape or sexual assault presenting sufficient plausibility, the person accused will be systematically suspended from their functions”, write the ministers. An instruction was sent to this effect by the ministry on March 26 to all commands.
226 cases in 2023
Several media, including the Western Mailhad mentioned the story of Manon Dubois, victim at the age of 17 of sexual assault on a French navy ship. Her case was notably raised with the Ministry of the Armed Forces by MP Laetitia Saint-Paul, soldier and MP for Maine-et-Loire (Renaissance).
The inspection mission will also have the mission of “making even more effective” the functioning of the “Thémis” cell created in 2014 to collect testimonies from victims and ensure the application of sanctions. In 2023, 167 reports of sexual or gender-based violence were sent to the army hierarchy and 59 processed by the Thémis cell, for a total of 226 cases which were the subject of the opening of a file.