Sexual violence at school | Victims and ex-athletes call for emergency framework law

“Exhausted” from having to fight “unanswered”, victims of sexual violence, workers and former athletes are calling for an emergency meeting with the new Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, in order to establish a law -framework to prevent and combat sexual violence in schools.

“We don’t want to fight again for the next four years. We’ve been asking for protection for years. You have to believe in young people, support them, listen to them, ”said Clorianne Augustin, speaker and co-coordinator of the collective The voice of young people counts, on Wednesday at a press conference.

His group, born almost five years ago in the wake of the #moiaussi denunciation movement, has been asking since 2017 for the creation of a law aimed at preventing and combating sexual violence in primary and secondary schools in Quebec. Such a law already exists in CEGEPs and universities.

M^me Augustin denounces that in his seven priorities announced last week, Minister Drainville has “excluded” the fight against sexual violence, yet essential in terms of school perseverance according to her. “For me, it’s a lack of willpower. Saying it out loud that there is a problem is acknowledging its existence. And I think we have to stop being afraid of naming things,” she explains to The Press.

The collective is calling for a quick meeting with Prime Minister François Legault and Minister Drainville in order to resolve the impasse over the adoption of a framework law.

“As young people, we wonder if our voices and our experiences really count for the political class. Before starting to renovate the schools from the outside, we should take into account the problems inside, “said Kenza, a young woman member of the collective.

In Saint-Laurent, “20 years” of silence

On the spot, the former athlete Joëlle Martina also strongly attacked the simply “reactive” attitude of the government in terms of sexual violence. “We are always told that there are mechanisms to complain, but everything is reactive. We need a proactive system. We must not wait for the victims to act, we must protect them, ”she insisted.

“When institutions do nothing, young people learn that their actions have no consequences. Is this the message we want to convey to them? School and sport can be life changing, let’s make sure it’s for the best,” insists M^me Martina. She is also the spokesperson for the Big Sisters Coalition, a group of former basketball players set up last March following the arrest of three coaches for sex crimes at Saint -Laurent.

In July, a government investigation concluded that the dignity of several athletes was “compromised” during their time at Saint-Laurent high school, where three basketball coaches were charged with sex crimes. The Press had also reported that a “super harmful” climate, marked by verbal aggression and intimidation, reigned within the women’s basketball program.

“In Saint-Laurent, there have been 20 years of silence. 20 years, it’s a lot of young people who graduate, who have been victims. But above all, it’s a lot of time for inaction, tolerance and abuse,” underlined Ernest Edmond, founder of the organization Les Ballons Intensifs, which also campaigns for the implementation of a law- framework. “How many young people will it take for us to take action? “, he also wondered.

Well known in the world of school sports, Daniel Lacasse, head of the Saint-Laurent school basketball program, is accused of sexual exploitation. The other two coaches, Robert Luu and Charles-Xavier Boislard, face charges of sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual assault. Mr. Boislard was also charged with sexual exploitation.

A first trial, that of Daniel Lacasse, is scheduled for September 12 to 15 at the Montreal courthouse. That of Charles-Xavier Boislard must take place between October 3 and 6. As for Robert Luu, he must return to court on April 21 for a hearing before his trial.