A preliminary investigation was opened on Wednesday April 13 by the public prosecutor’s office in Evry (Essonne) for “rape”, “sexual assault” and “attempted sexual assault and rape” within the École polytechnique, franceinfo learned on Thursday at the prosecutor’s office. It is entrusted to the gendarmes of the Palaiseau research brigade.
Eleven acts of rape or attempted rape, committed between September 2018 and February 2022, were reported in an internal investigation of the establishment carried out between January and February last, and to which franceinfo was able to have access on Tuesday.
At the question : “During your schooling at the École Polytechnique, did anyone try or manage to have sex with you against your will?”ten students, in the vast majority of female students, answer “yes, once”, one person answers “Yes several times”. They are ten women and one man. Each time, the aggressor is a man.
In the report, we also learn that nearly one student in four surveyed (23.1%) claims to have been the victim of a sexual assault since the beginning of her schooling in the establishment. The students concerned speak in particular of touching, without their consent, on their breasts or their buttocks, or of situations in which they were “stuck” to be kissed.
“We didn’t think we had so many cases”reacted on Tuesday April 12 on franceinfo the director general of the École polytechnique, François Bouchet, who explained that a report had been made to the public prosecutor of Essonne. “We are doing everything to ensure that there are never any more such acts in our school. Obviously, we want legal action.”
This internal survey was conducted by the establishment between January 19 and February 6, 2022. 2,097 students took part in this survey, i.e. a participation rate of 61%.