Parents: Why create a “Parents Committee against Youth Harassment”?
Marlène Schiappa: Harassment between young people has started for a few years to be dealt with in depth by the National Education: we went with Jean-Michel Blanquer and Brigitte Macron, who are very committed to this issue, in a high school to encourage initiatives throughout the year. last, like that of the Ambassadors against harassment. But the subject goes beyond the school framework by continuing outside and in particular on social networks. So it’s also the parents’ responsibility to take it up, and I know they want it., but they sometimes lack the means to do so. We do not want to make them feel guilty but to help them. There are a multitude of associations, places that fight against the phenomena of harassment, but it was necessary to identify all these energies and create common prevention tools. I am thinking of very concrete things like the “Wheels of violence” and the danger assessment grids, which I have put in place to identify domestic violence. If we ask a young person “Are you stalker / are you stalked?” “, he will undoubtedly answer no, whereas with finer questions “Do you ever set aside a student in your class in the canteen?” “, we have a better chance of clearing up situations.
The launch of this committee begins with a webinar, what will parents find out?
M.S. : Our reflective work begins with this web event *, made of several conferences on harassment led by this plural committee (Digital Generation, UNAF, the Prefecture of Police, E-childhood …) but also experts such as Olivier Ouillier, expert in neurosciences, who will explain what goes on in the head of a stalker child, group phenomena. I chaired for ten years the association “Maman works”, I know we parents need support. I want the exchanges to enable us within a month to offer the right supports to parents, but also to associations, we will deploy them in the “Houses of trust and protection of families”, created by the National Gendarmerie. A #parents’ committee allows you to make comments or ask questions.
What do you think is the impact of the health context on these bullying phenomena?
M.S. : This makes the situation worse. In any case, this is the meaning of the feedback from the gendarmerie and police services that we have with the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, and this is why the crime prevention strategy that I have presented is aimed at a lot to teenagers. The virus, barrier gestures, social distancing are evils which increase the fear of the other, the withdrawal into oneself and therefore the idleness or the psychic imbalance. Not to mention the increase in the use of screens to study or maintain a link. Meetings with schools, discussions with professionals or other adults in the family are in fact rarer, even if I want to salute the mediators who remain mobilized. For example, we have recruited 10 more educators.
Do you already have any advice for parents?
M.S. : I say to parents: take an interest in what’s going on in your child’s phone! This is the most effective way to prevent harassment situations. And do not neglect one thing: a child who harasses is a child in pain. In the little ones, this attitude is necessarily the symptom of a torment, of a difficulty within the family or at school. Child bullies also need to be accompanied. In fact, beyond the responsibility, it is the solidarity between parents which must prevail. We are responsible adults, it is up to us to ensure that disputes between our children subside and do not degenerate into drama. Between silence and the complaint filed, there are possible stages. This committee will help identify them and engage in intelligent dialogue between families.
Interview by Katrin Acou-Bouaziz
* Join the webinar on 23/03/2021 by clicking on the link: https://dnum-mi.webex.com/dnum-mi/j.php?MTID=mb81eb70857e9a26d582251abef040f5d]