Instead of sounding the alarm, schools looked down. Instead of acting, they remained camped in the role of spectator. And that allowed sex offenders to run rampant for years, when everyone seemed to know about it.
This week again, our colleagues Katia Gagnon and Louis-Samuel Perron informed us that a teacher at Collège Stanislas was targeted by allegations of a sexual nature that the private establishment would have trivialized.1.
Another ! Because this is in addition to the arrest, in March, of an economics professor for assaulting several victims, but also to the conviction of a physical education professor for possession of pornographic material.
All this at Collège Stanislas.
But many other establishments are splashed.
For example, a teacher sexually assaulted many young girls over a period of five years in two elementary schools in Montreal North, when it was an open secret that he had a close relationship with them.
And at Saint-Laurent high school, basketball coaches were accused of sex crimes, while the “level of organizational trust” was particularly low in this establishment.
Almost everywhere, we knew. But we did nothing.
However, it is the duty of teachers to notify the Department of Youth Protection (DPJ) in such a situation. But it is clear that the transmission belt does not work.
Faced with this wave of scandals, Education Minister Bernard Drainville launched a general inquiry at the end of March. Very good. Let’s hope that the results, which will be made public in July, in the middle of the construction holiday, will not go unnoticed.
In Bill 9, adopted last June, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) also added provisions that will allow the regional authorities of the new Student Ombudsman to receive complaints regarding sexual violence. This addition was the result of a fine collaborative effort with opposition parties and community groups, a transpartisan exercise that Quebec would benefit from pursuing.
He has just the opportunity, since Québec solidaire has just reintroduced Bill 397 aimed at combating sexual assault in elementary and secondary schools.
All opposition parties support this approach. Parents’ committees too. The same goes for organizations like La voix des jeunes count, which have been calling for a framework law for five years.
In fact, such a law was already adopted in 2017 by the Liberals, but only for CEGEPs and universities. It would therefore make sense for elementary and high school students to benefit from the same protection, especially since young people under the age of 18 represent the majority (62%) of victims of sexual offenses reported by the police, according to the INSPQ.
Allowing the Student Ombudsman to accept complaints of a sexual nature is all well and good. But you also have to work upstream, not just afterwards.
Providing mandatory training for teachers on sexual assault, as the government has just done, is very good. But we need to cast a wider net, by getting schools to develop a comprehensive policy on sexual assault, with a code of conduct for staff and support services for victims.
If we want young people to have the courage to talk about this extremely delicate issue, we must give them access to a person in the field who inspires their confidence, not just to a telephone line like the one the government has set up at the haste… and where the victims fell into a voicemail box.
Sexual violence against children is an issue that deserves that elected officials place themselves above partisan issues. Exactly as they did, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, to adapt the justice system to the reality of victims of sexual violence.
Let’s also join forces for young people. Let’s not wait for more victims.