Published
Video length: 4 min
Sexual violence: how a mailbox allowed Lily, 10, to denounce her grandfather
Sexual violence: how a mailbox allowed Lily, 10, to denounce her grandfather
(France 2)
A year ago, the 20 Heures documented the installation in schools of mailboxes by the association Les Papillons, allowing students to speak out. For the first time, a trial opens at the assizes after taking into account the message from Lily, 10 years old.
A mailbox installed in a playground saved Lily’s life. At 10, she used it to accuse her grandfather of rape and sexual assault. Her ordeal lasted several years without being able to tell her parents everything. In 350 schools throughout France, the association Les Papillons has installed these mailboxes. 50% of the messages concern school bullying.
A year ago, the 20 Heures filmed the arrival of the mailbox at the school in Saint-Clément (Yonne), accessible but hidden from view. The children’s words are then sent to the association’s headquarters and analyzed by two psychologists. The courts are called upon for the most serious cases, such as Lily’s. This week, her grandfather will be tried for rape and sexual assault, in the first trial made possible thanks to the mailboxes. Lily, now 13, will testify to her two cousins, themselves victims but who had never spoken.