A national action plan against gender-based and sexual violence in higher education and research was launched on Friday so that “fear changes sides,” said Minister of Higher Education Frédérique Vidal. “There must be several places where people can speak”, institutional or associative. For this, a “massive training plan”, funded by the State, “begins today for all establishments”, she said.
on France Info. The budget of 7 million euros over five years allocated to this plan could be used by associations so that they come “to hear the word”.
This plan must also be based on a unit at the ministry to provide legal support to the establishments. “We must both take psychological care of the victims (…) and support them so that they can file a complaint,” said Frédérique Vidal. The launch of this plan comes a week after the revelation of a hundred acts of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape during the academic year at CentraleSupélec, which prompted the opening of a preliminary investigation.
Professionalize the monitoring and collection missions
Many schools have set up listening cells but “they were used very little”, with very few complaints filed because “shame is always on the side of the victim,” said the minister. In the case of a student suspected of rape, “it does not always have to be the victim who is displaced, changes course or establishment. We can also reorganize things ”, while,“ obviously, respecting the presumption of innocence ”.
Last February, the #sciencesporcs movement launched by students claiming to be victims or witnesses of sexist behavior and violence in the Institutes of Political Studies in France had swept over social networks. Frédérique Vidal had commissioned an inspection mission. The latter recommended at the end of July to go beyond the simple awareness to professionalize the monitoring missions and collection of speech.