lawyers at college, in teaching mode

The National Bar Council and the Ministry of National Education and Youth have renewed Law Day in colleges. In each class, students were able to benefit from discussion time with a lawyer.

Raising awareness among adolescents about the law is the objective of the 7th edition of Law Day which takes place on Friday October 4. 600 lawyers work in 450 establishments in France to discuss the law on subjects that directly concern them, such as harassment and discrimination.

In this Parisian middle school, the 3rd year students know what harassment is. So why is it so hard to talk about it? “Perhaps for fear of reprisals, it’s our turn to be harassed”confides a student. “Sometimes we are a little afraid of the consequences and how others will look at us”adds another.

The lawyer Me Naquet questions the teenagers visibly interested in the subject and, very quickly, we enter into the experience. “For example, I’m Austrian and when I was little I was called a Nazi”testifies a schoolgirl. “I witnessed a friend who was harassed. Among her friends, she told us about it and then we tried to go and see people who could help her. They said they couldn’t couldn’t do much but the person in question would have to talk to their parents about it, for example, but I don’t think they’ll do it because I think they’re ashamed. confides another.

After this sequence which moves and disturbs the entire class, the lawyer continues his presentation, discussing cyberharassment and the session ends with the penalties incurred. Harassment “can go up to one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. It’s huge”insists the lawyer. For Maître Naquet, this status of lawyer is precisely the added value of this presentation.

“It’s good that it’s said by lawyers because somewhere for them in a somewhat generic way we represent the law, and therefore possibly the fear of sanction, so I think it’s important that lawyers participate in this collective effort.

Me Naquet, lawyer

at franceinfo

But do these interventions really play a role in real life? We quickly realize that the definition of harassment is not so simple, once we leave the theory behind. “There are cases where we don’t really know if it’s harassment or not”testifies a student. “Often, we think we have understood what harassment is but often without realizing it we harass people”explains another.

This is also confirmed by Maître Zimmermann, another lawyer speaking in a neighboring class. She had the students play a short scene in which a witness to harassment calls on an adult. “When I asked the students afterwards about what they thought of this intervention they immediately told me that it was exactly what should be done. But when I asked the question whether, “They, in such a situation, would have gone to call a supervisor. They ended up telling me no. It highlights this gap between the theory which they understood well and the practical application which is much more delicate.” Further proof that the fight against school bullying is far from won.