In the wake of the arrest of three basketball coaches from Saint-Laurent high school in Montreal last week, four organizations called with a common voice on Monday for the adoption of a law aimed at preventing and combating violence. of a sexual nature in primary and secondary schools in the province.
On Thursday, the three men employed by the renowned Saint-Laurent high school basketball program were charged with crimes of a sexual nature allegedly committed against students.
However, “the situation at Saint-Laurent school is not at all isolated”, denounced Clorianne Augustin, co-founder of the youth collective The voice of young people counts, in a press briefing on Monday. In the last few days, the worker says she has noticed an increase in messages received from young people who wish to denounce sexual violence experienced in the school environment. “We have to stop closing our eyes,” she insisted.
Clorianne Augustin recalled that five teenage girls had publicly denounced in 2018 the sexual violence they had experienced or witnessed during their school career.
“We’ve been asking the government to act for five years,” she said indignantly. “It hurts me every time I see the government’s inaction.” Citing a study by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ), the speaker recalled that between 2% and 8% of athletes are victims of sexual assault in a sporting context.
A clear protocol
The adoption of a law by Quebec would be the best tool to better prevent sexual violence committed by adults or students in the school environment, and also to better manage denunciations, claimed the organizations The voice of young people counts , Intensive balloons, Pour 3 Points and Quebec against sexual violence.
“We are asking for a clear protocol so that the staff is trained, that there is a follow-up with the victims to come to their aid and so that the aggressors have consequences for their actions, summarized Kenza Chahidi, member of the collective La voix young people count. We also ask for education and prevention among students in order to create a safe space for victims to report. A space where you feel listened to, believed and supported. »
Fabrice Vil, founder of Pour 3 Points, an organization that trains sports coaches to intervene positively with young people, recalled that such a law already exists in Quebec for the college and university levels. “All that’s left to do is apply it for young people,” he said. This law had forced all higher education institutions in the province to adopt a policy aimed at preventing and combating sexual violence on campus.
According to a report published in The Press, employees of the Saint-Laurent secondary school would have tried to alert the management of the establishment to the toxic climate that reigned within the basketball program, without them being listened to. Mélanie Lemay, co-founder of Quebec against sexual violence, stressed that the adoption of such a law would mean the end of the “system of impunity”. “They could no longer just throw the ball to each other or not act. [Cette loi ferait en sorte de mettre fin] to the lack of accountability and protection that is causing young people to be abandoned right now,” she said.
As for Ernest Edmond, founder of Ballons intensifs, an organization that works with young people from underprivileged backgrounds, he stressed that it is just as important to redefine the notion of excellence in sport. ” [À l’école Saint-Laurent], young girls were sacrificed for banners, for school fame and for tournament money. This school was the example to follow in basketball, he noted. We need to redefine what is a great program and what is a great coach. »
other options
In an email sent to DutyFlorent Tanlet, press attaché to the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, pointed out that the government is currently favoring other options to ensure that schools “are a fulfilling environment for our young people”.
The Minister tabled a bill aimed at reforming the position of Student Ombudsman so that it is “more independent, more transparent and more accessible”, he underlined. “It will be an essential tool to improve the handling of complaints and to combat violence and bullying in schools,” Mr. Tanlet wrote. All establishments must also draw up a plan to combat intimidation and violence, and the subject of sexual assault will be covered in the new Quebec Culture and Citizenship course, he added.