the “first objective is prevention” and it is “probably the biggest job to do”, recognizes Secretary of State Sonia Backès

As the first national meetings against sectarian aberrations open this Thursday, March 9 in Paris, the Secretary of State for Citizenship, Sonia Backès, estimates on France Inter that “the first objective is prevention”which represents “probably the biggest job to do” in the fight against sectarian aberrations. “We must try to act as much as possible upstream”launches the Secretary of State.

>> Sectarian abuses: referrals to Miviludes reach a new record

To do this, several proposals will be made by the government during these meetings, and in particular “a communication campaign”. Sonia Backès judge for example “It’s not normal that as soon as we see a video on the Internet promising us a cure, we believe it”. The Secretary of State for Citizenship also wants work on “information literacy” be done to help citizens “to be vigilant” on the subject. “Today, unfortunately, a whole generation looks at information almost exclusively on social networks”Or “verified information and any communication from anyone arrives in the same way”, regrets Sonia Backès. She therefore pleads fortrain more”.

European cooperation necessary according to the Secretary of State

“A committee specific to the European question” must also be organized during the National Conference, welcomes the Secretary of State for Citizenship. Sonia Backès considers cooperation between the different European countries necessary, firstly because “gurus and charlatans are not only in France”but also for better “working with social media platforms”. “If we want platforms to be able to have an alert system to remove content deemed dangerous, we have to do it at European level”, she says. Finally, concerning the surveys, Sonia Backès highlights the “About-Picard law of 2021 which qualifies the phenomenon of psychological influence” and therefore allows “to characterize and have sanctions”. She recognizes that said that this work “is still a bit heavy and long to check” and that it is missing “probably some tools”.

“New practices, in particular all alternative health practices have exploded following the Covid”

Sonia Backès Secretary of State for Citizenship

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Last November, the Interministerial Mission for Vigilance and the Fight against Sectarian Abuses (Miviludes) reported 4,020 reports in 2021, an increase of 33.6% in one year. “It’s probably the tip of the iceberg”, indicates this Thursday, March 9 on France Inter Sonia Backès which highlights the interest of these national meetings. She hopes that these two days will make it possible to draw up a “precise inventory” and fix “Action plan”. “We need this Assizes, because the sectarian phenomenon has evolved enormously, and we do not yet measure it well”adds the Secretary of State in charge of Citizenship.

Sonia Backès witnessed these sectarian excesses, because her mother belonged to the sect of the Church of Scientology. So she saw firsthand how “When entering a sectarian organization, it is very difficult to get out”. It testifies to the difficulty for those around the victims: “We are completely helpless”, she laments. She wants a reflection “on the alert”. “We are going to propose to set up, in connection with France Victimes, an alert capacity by a number” green,” said the Secretary of State. But it also calls on the French to be vigilant, whether “at school or in business” in order to see if “someone is isolating themselves, making strange choices”. “There is a huge network of associations, we need to help them more, organize them better”she adds.