This text is part of the special section Acfas prices
For almost thirty years, Manon Bergeron has been fighting against sexual violence. First as a sexologist within a Center for Assistance and Combating Sexual Assault (CALAC) and, since 2010, as a researcher in the Department of Sexology at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). Her work is bearing fruit: the ESSIMU survey (Sexuality, security and interactions in a university environment), which she carried out in 2016, resonated with political authorities and a “robust” law resulted. This year, Acfas awarded him the Thérèse Gouin-Décarie social sciences prize. Portrait of a committed researcher.
“I became interested in sexual violence somewhat by chance,” recalls the winner. “I was finishing my baccalaureate in sexology and I had to find an internship in a practice setting. I looked at a directory of community organizations and saw one that specialized in sexual assault. It immediately caught my attention.” At the time, violence of this type was taboo and ignored. She saw an opportunity — and ended up holding the position for 13 years.
It was there that she was able to closely observe the effects of the revelations of singer Nathalie Simard, who in 2005 denounced her former manager Guy Cloutier, convicted of sexual assault when she was a minor. “It showed the silence in which she was imprisoned, how she was able to escape. It gave hope to those who were going through something similar. It raised awareness among the population. »
Then, the sexologist decided to return to studies and joined UQAM as a professor, where she quickly put the experience acquired in the field into action. In 2016, while the #MeToo movement was in full swing, she launched an investigation aimed at documenting sexual assaults on university campuses — a first in Quebec. The results are chilling: “more than a third (36.9%) of respondents reported at least one form of sexual victimization,” we read in the report. “It created a shock wave,” remembers the researcher. It was inconceivable to some people that there could be sexual violence in a place like a university. »
His work resonates across the province: Law 22.1, aimed at preventing sexual violence in higher education establishments, adopted in 2017, is greatly inspired by the results of his research. The following year, Radio-Canada named her Scientist of the Year, a rarity for a social science researcher. This nomination arouses controversy, in particular because Manon Bergeron does not hide her feminist allegiances. “It’s part of my identity,” she confirms. For me, the feminist approach means putting sexual violence in its social context. »
Documenting the unexplored
Since then, Manon Bergeron has continued to advance her cause. As holder of the Research Chair on Gender-Based and Sexual Violence in Higher Education (VSSMES), she studies, with other researchers, the phenomenon from all its angles. In 2020, a report concerning sexual violence in a college environment reveals a worrying situation: “Nearly 1 in 3 people (29.9%) have experienced a form of VSMC [violence sexuelle en milieu collégial] during the year preceding the survey. » More recently, she co-wrote a portrait of the situation among LGBTQ+ populations which demonstrates their very great vulnerability to this violence. The chair is also interested in indigenous people.
Who remains in the shadows? “People living with a disability,” she answers without hesitation. There are many myths and prejudices about them. They deserve attention. »
Modestly, the researcher considers that her successes are attributable to teamwork. “For me, it’s a condition for success,” she says, passionately. If we sit down together to identify needs, we create projects that will have an impact on society. » A concrete example: the Empreinte sexual assault prevention program, designed in collaboration with 26 CALACS and implemented in secondary schools across Quebec. “I am proud to think that a very large number of young people benefit from it. »
The work is not finished for Manon Bergeron, who is already thinking about the next five years of her Chair. So much the better: thanks to her, the fight against sexual violence is not about to run out of steam.
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