Three members of the parenting commission resign on the first day of work

Sociologists Claude Martin and Irène Théry and CNRS researcher Agnès Martial slammed the door on the scientific commission launched by Aurore Bergé.

For its first day of work, the scientific commission launched by Aurore Bergé, Minister of Solidarity and Families, already has three fewer scientists. Sociologists Claude Martin and Irène Théry and CNRS researcher Agnès Martial resigned from the scientific commission on parenting set up by the government, during the first meeting organized this Monday, announced Irène Théry at World.

The latter denounced the interview with Aurore Bergé, published Sunday December 10 in La Tribune Sunday. In the columns of the economic newspaper, the minister presents the work of scientists as a response to the riots that occurred after the death of Nahel, killed by police shooting in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), on June 27, 2023.Agnès Martial, Claude Martin and I (…) regretted that the work to come would be placed under the aegis of repressive methods“, specified Irène Théry to the newspaper The world. The family sociologist also wanted to deplore, with her resigned colleagues, “the confusion between politicians and researchers“.

“Our angle is prevention”

A little earlier this Monday, on franceinfo, the co-president of the commission on parenthood, Hélène Roques, also criticized one of the first measures of the Minister of Solidarity and Families. In the columns of Tribune Sunday, Aurore Bergé had announced the establishment of community service for “failing parents”. “This would put these parents in a position vis-à-vis their children of being themselves – in quotes – delinquents.“, regretted Hélène Roques. However, the members of this commission “are driven by the desire to support parenthood“, explained the co-chair of the group of scientists. “Our angle is prevention. Acting ahead of crises in our society“, she added.

Sunday November 10, the second co-president of this commission, the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Serge Hefez, interviewed by franceinfo, also wanted to distance himself from this first measure announced by the minister. “We will move in the direction of support” of the “families in difficulty rather than in the sense of monitoring and punishing“, he said on franceinfo. The implementation of works of general interest for “failing parents” moves away from the approach of Serge Hefez, “unless we can extend this notion to information systems that help parents restore authority processes“.

The commission on parenthood has been responsible since Monday, after six months of work, for making “concrete proposals” For “meet the challenges of parenthood“, explained Aurore Bergé. Among the proposals put forward by the co-president of this commission, Serge Hefez, there is the reestablishment of places, under the model of the Green Houses of Françoise Dolto created in 1979, to provide “a little natural help for parenting when parents are overwhelmed by the situation“.