Despite the exclusion of a student from her college, Lindsay, 13, committed suicide on May 12 after warning for months about the harassment of which she was the victim. His relatives question the school and the rectorate.
“If everyone had done their job to protect Lindsay, she would be alive.” The family of the 13-year-old girl, who killed herself in mid-May after being the victim of school harassment, announced on Thursday June 1 that they had filed a complaint for “non-assistance to a person in danger” against the management of the college of Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), the academy of Lille and the police officers in charge of the investigation. A fourth complaint concerns Facebook social network, “completely failing” in terms of content moderation and the fight against “hate speech”assured Pierre Debuisson, the family lawyer.
Betty Gervois, the teenager’s mother, had told, at the end of May, on RTL, that his daughter had been a victim as soon as he returned to“repeated insults” at school and “on social networks”. For her, “jealousy” of his comrades was the source of this harassment. “Lindsay was pretty, flirtatious, she had it all!” she assured The voice of the North. “THE Director of College and National Education” bear the greatest responsibility for the teenager’s suicide, she said at a press conference on Thursday. Here are the criticisms leveled at them.
Lindsay’s warning wouldn’t have been taken seriously enough
When Lindsay’s grades began to fall, the girl’s mother claims to have reacted, between appointments with the psychologist and reports to the establishment and to academic services. “I even wrote to the President of the Republic!” entrusted to The voice of the North the teenager’s grandmother, who had found a goodbye letter under her bed in February.
But on Thursday, Lindsay’s relatives accused school authorities and police of downplaying the harassment suffered by the girl and several of her friends. “Lindsay, at one point, she was in middle school, and she was asking the principal for help (…). The principal said to her, ‘Look, you’re bothering me with your nonsense, we don’t only have that to do'”said the mother of the teenager. “I called on the college several times, the CPE [conseiller principal d’éducation] didn’t care”also accused the mother of Océane, a friend of Lindsay.
The rectorate of Lille announced the opening of an administrative investigation, conceding that the school services could have “go further in the follow-up” the girl. “We triggered the protocol” after the report of the harassment, nevertheless pleaded, on May 26 in front of the press, Jean-Roger Ribaud, academic director of Pas-de-Calais. “The mother was received, Lindsay was received by the nurse, by the CPE, by the principal, he assured. But unfortunately that turned out to be insufficient.
“The main instigator of the violence was first temporarily excluded on November 14 (…) then definitively excluded on February 27 and we ended up with the tragedy of May 12”, detailed, Thursday, the Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, on BFMTV. The latter, who conceded a “collective failure”, claimed to follow “personally” Lindsay’s suicide file. Citing the judicial and administrative inquiry, he assured that he would draw “all the conclusions with regard to the personnel if necessary and, above all, the general conclusions on the way in which we can move forward”.
“Faced with a report of a case of harassment, our reaction must be systematic and complete”, wrote the minister in an e-mail sent Friday to all heads of establishments. The courier reminds them that they are obliged “to prevent the appearance of situations of harassment, to encourage their detection by the educational community and to provide a rapid and coordinated response”.
Teenager’s suicide hasn’t stopped bullying her friends
The mother of Lindsay’s best friend, Maëlys, testified during the press conference of ongoing harassment against her daughter: “We ask her why she wasn’t there for her girlfriend” and that she “better go join her”. “Insults and [messages à] offensive character continue to circulate on social networks” since the death of the teenager, confirmed Pierre Debuisson. “A public account has been created that reads ‘Lindsay is finally dead'”he said, citing other insults relayed on the internet.
“By separating the perpetrators of violence from the victims, we do not resolve [le problème]. The harassment continued”, confirmed Pap Ndiaye on BFMTV, thus pointing the finger at cyberbullying, outside of school time. In an attempt to stem the phenomenon, the Minister announced a “strengthening of the anti-harassment unit”. Referring to the toll-free numbers on cyberbullying (3018) and bullying at school (3020), he explained that “the resources allocated to them will be increased to recruit more psychologists, social network experts and listeners”. He also promised to“Invite to exchange the main managers of social networks”so that they further moderate exchanges on their platforms.
A lack of support felt by those close to Lindsay
The family’s lawyer criticized the attitude of the Minister of National Education, who had reacted to this suicide on Twitter. Pierre Debuisson judged “inconceivable” to not “take care to meet [de la famille de l’adolescente] and share a few words of compassion.” Lindsay’s family said they did not have the support of the educational community “neither before, nor during, nor after” the drama. “We haven’t received any mail”, said Betty Gervois.
For his part, Pap Ndiaye affirmed on BFMTV to have “tried several times to reach Lindsay’s mother“.
If you need help, if you are worried or if you are confronted with the suicide of a member of your entourage, there are anonymous listening services. Line suicide listening can be reached 24/7 on 01 45 39 40 00. Other information is also available on the website of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health.
To report any situation of harassment or cyberbullying, whether you are a victim or a witness, there are free, anonymous and confidential telephone numbers: 3020 (harassment at school) and 3018 (cyberharassment), which can be reached from Monday to Saturday. , from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other information is also available on the website of the Ministry of National Education.