2024-03-30 17:45:27
There are figures that raise questions. Differences in figures, more precisely. If 75% of people questioned as part of a scientific study on sexist and sexual behavior within lyrical structures believe these abuses “recurring”, only 18% say they have reported them within their establishment and 6% to an external authority.
Led by sociologists Marie Buscatto and Ionela Roharik and opera singer Soline Helbert (pseudonym), this investigation, an enlightening summary of which is available on le site The Conversation, set itself the objective of measuring the extent of a phenomenon which is more publicized in cinema than within the more subdued sector of classical music. Having worked for more than twenty years on gender inequalities in the arts, Marie Buscatto recognizes that “the #MeToo movement has encouraged us to renew our investigations by focusing on the phenomenon of sexual violence, which is less studied than issues of parity.”
A bundle of fears hinders speech
How can we explain such a gulf between observation and denunciation? “Several people told us at first that they had not experienced anything or even seen anything. But, during the discussions, they realized that they had anticipated the risk, by wearing neutral outfits for example. Which describes the truth of a system which has integrated – while denying it – sexism, even sexual violence,” analyzes the sociologist.
When the facts are obvious, the investigation details a set of obstacles to speech, even fears, the conjunction of which leads to putting the problems “under the carpet”. Fear “for the rest of his career” in a third of cases, fear of appearing as the hinderer – more often the hinderer – from going around in circles or even simply “to make waves” for 40% of “respondents”, explains Marie Buscatto. The more precarious the professional status of the victim or witness within a very competitive lyrical universe, the more paralyzing their fear of stigmatization becomes.
Toolbox and training
Employers in the traditional sector are, like society as a whole, aware of the urgency of preventing or dealing with these actions. “Our goal is zero tolerance, insists Florence Alibert, general director of the Cité musicale de Metz and vice-president of the French Association of Orchestras. Our establishments have put in place a very comprehensive toolbox and training modules for managers and staff. In 2023, 500 people, half of them artists, will have been trained in this way. »
A network of internal “referents” as well as external listening units, intended for those who hesitate to denounce facts within their establishment, are all means put forward by musical structures. “Those concerned must no longer fear the “negative consequences” of their courage thanks to a solid and reliable protective arsenal,” continues Florence Alibert.
Access to professional listening and advice
Created at the time of the pandemic and the shutdown of live performances, the Unisson association brings together lyrical artists keen to share their experiences. Its president, tenor Éric Huchet, discusses the complaint filed in 2020 by mezzo-soprano Chloé Briot for sexual assault against a fellow singer, who then sued her, the case ultimately ending on both sides in an acquittal. “This type of case between colleagues is rather rare. Harassment or attacks come more from people who exercise power over their victims. We set up a listening cell in 2020 and also help our members to access, including financially, the advice of competent lawyers. »
At the same time, Unison invited an intimacy coordinator to explain her (new) job and to support the artists in formulating what may bother them, sometimes upset them, during rehearsals and performances. Particularly when the staging overloads the sexualization of the characters and their attitudes. “Creative freedom does not allow everything, and a singer can perfectly tolerate a gesture one day and find it intolerable the next. Without fearing feeling “stupid”, “unstable” or “prudish”. »
Prevent and support from training
Éric Huchet insists on this ” psychological state “ delicate which takes root from the young years of training in music schools and conservatories. “Even after thirty years of career, an artist retains a feeling of fragility anchored within him: we must therefore give him as soon as possible the weapons, the confidence and the courage that he will need throughout his life. » A conviction shared by Séverine Garnier, editor-in-chief of The Musician’s Letter, journal which has largely contributed to identifying and documenting several cases of harassment or assault. “Some conservatory bosses are confronting the situations, like Émilie Delorme at the head of the Paris Conservatory, who dismissed a civil servant, in this case the cellist Jérôme Pernoo. For others, the road is still long…”
With 700 conservatories and music schools, welcoming 265,000 students and employing 15,000 teachers, the French Federation of Artistic Education considers that“a taboo has been lifted and the image of the mentor teacher who has all the rights over his student is fortunately a thing of the past”, pleads its president, David Lalloz. In practice, the replacement of opaque classroom doors with glass walls and the invitation to parents to attend their children’s lessons contributes to a new transparency.
Furthermore, administrative procedures and, even, direct referral to the public prosecutor “allow establishment directors to act concretely as their status as public service agents requires. Whether the events take place internally or externally. » Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure imposes the obligation, “for any constituted authority, any public officer or civil servant, in the exercise of their functions”, to report crimes or offenses of which he is aware.
This legal framework reaffirmed, David Lalloz does not minimize the « choc terrible », for the protagonists but also beyond, what sexual assault represents. “We are never really prepared for it… especially since each story is unique. » Which in no way prevents us from identifying and daring to denounce each of them. Better, to prevent it from ever happening.
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Edifying figures
According to the investigation by sociologists Marie Buscatto and Ionela Roharik and opera singer Soline Helbert (pseudonym), men are the aggressors in 74% of sexist acts, the victims are 84.5% women. The facts range from a serious joke to sexual blackmail during hiring, and even an unwanted sexual act.
The listening unit created by the Federation of Performing Arts, Music, Audiovisual and Cinema Companies, under the aegis of Audiens, indicates that 86% of calls come from women54% of the facts date back less than a year, 52% being physical attacks and 48% sexist or sexual remarks.
#MeToo #classical #music #urgency #talk