,I take him straight to the CPVS (Sexual Violence Help Center, editor’s note)where she states that the facts have occurred several times”says Sarah. The next day, the parents called the school, “I needed to be told that everything would be OK, that we would take things into our own hands, that we would worry about our daughter.”. The response they get is quite different.”When my daughter’s teacher and principal call me, they explain to me how the toilet works for ten minutes. I was lectured a lot to tell me that it is impossible that this could have happened.” And asking the child to come to school to identify the boy.
after the call, and was filled with a sense of abandonment”and abuse“On behalf of the school, Alice’s parents are returning to the CPVS to file a complaint.”I didn’t want to do that, especially against a four-year-old. The goal going into CPVS was to see that through and prevent the pain.” During the five-hour long testimony the parents realized through the terminology used by the police that the act of which Alice was the victim was rape.”Young children do not commit wrongdoings with the same intent or understanding as an adult. Rather, their behavior may indicate unmet needs, emotional turmoil, or family disruption.”adds family lawyer Caroline Poiré.
This is where the complexity and delicacy of the matter arises.”In the legal process, children’s words are still stigmatised as unreliable, manipulated or invented. This is a significant challenge as it is vital that children’s voices are heard and heeded, especially in situations that directly affect them.” Caroline Poiré is still moving forward.”In 2024, I would like to see shame change sidesHe also compliments Sara. At age 3, 20, 30 or 50, it’s always the same thing. Except that at age three, it’s the legal guardians who get what an older victim would normally get.”
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What do Sarah and Emmanuel have”caught in the mouth”This is a classification made without further action by the justice system, in particular, under the pretext that Elise is no longer in danger, because her schools have been changed. No investigation duty is carried out, the parents are not called to shed light in relation to the fact of what a four-year-old little boy did to a classmate or even several, because Sarah and Emmanuel have heard of other similar cases at school. Their lawyer requested that medical samples be analyzed, that the teaching staff be heard and that the hearings of other parents be attached to the file.”It may be necessary to obtain information about the child’s daily environment, behaviour and interactions with other children. This may help establish the context around the reported incidents.” for this purpose “That any action be based on solid and reliable evidence.”
In terms of measures, precisely, the municipal school (and therefore supervised by the municipality) took some steps immediately after the events. The monitoring of the toilets was strengthened, a psychologist from the Psycho-Medico-Social Center and a nurse from the School Health Promotion Service addressed the issue of consent, confidentiality and physical differences with the children. As part of AVRAAS, an animation on consent was faced. The teaching team has received several training courses on the issue of violence and well-being, on communication and receiving the words of the children. For parents, a listening space was opened through the PMS, a note and a document were distributed that could facilitate communication with the children, and SOS Enfants were invited to an information session at the school at the end of May. Meetings were also held with the parents of the classes concerned.
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Alice’s parents were not satisfied with the attitude of the school and the community. Sarah met with the director, the alderman of education, the head of the municipality’s education department, the mayor…”The municipality says the management did its job in the letter and spirit.”But on the other hand, Alice’s brother was advised to change school, otherwise what “He’ll be very unhappy there, and it’ll be our fault. ,We’ve seen that we’re thought more about collateral damage, about other children, but we don’t benefit from empathy, we’re considered the problem”Emmanuel believes. A year and three months after the events, and despite her changing schools, Alice continues to suffer from urinary incontinence, followed by visits to a physiotherapist, an uropathologist, a psychologist, and drug treatment. All at the expense of the parents.”We get shot at and nothing happensDad concluded. The school, the community, the justice system, nothing was done and nothing happened.”