The Minister of Education Édouard Geffray wants to appoint a defender of children’s rights within National Education and control “every three to five years” the honorability of personnel, as he announced in an interview with Monde posted online Wednesday January 28.
School “must be a place of absolute trust” for the child, he asserts, while the affair of the Notre-Dame de Bétharram Catholic establishment brought to light sexual violence spread over more than half a century and the extracurricular sector has been splashed by investigations and reports for sexual violence in Paris in particular. “I would like (…) to appoint a defender of children’s rights to the national education mediator”declared Édouard Geffray to the daily.
“Anyone will be able to raise a question with him or report a suspicion that has not been properly addressed, whether during school or extracurricular time”he says, adding that“there has to be a sort of one-stop shop”.
Furthermore, the “reputability checks” implemented in 2016, consisting of checking the criminal record and registration in the file of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais) of new education personnel, must now be reiterated “every three or five years”pour “make sure there isn’t anything we’ve missed”recalls Édouard Geffray. The minister also wants an audit “systematic” background of stakeholders outside the school.
Today, “30 to 40” deregistrations of National Education personnel are made per year (out of 1.2 million agents) “for acts of a sexual nature, against minors or between adults”specified the Minister of Education in his interview and “80,000 reports per year” take place at school, “compared to around 50,000 ten years ago”. The ministry will publish “next week, for the first time, an action protocol”in the form of a « guide » allowing the “personnel (to) make reports in a homogeneous and standardized manner”which will be “accompanied by displays” in establishments, specifies Édouard Geffray.
Child protection associations reserved
The child protection sector on Wednesday issued “reserves” after these announcements on the appointment of a Children’s Rights Defender, authority “which already exists”pleading instead for a strengthening of existing means. “While the desire to improve the detection of situations of violence against children is undeniable, we must first remember that there already exists an independent authority competent for the defense of children’s rights: the Defender of Rights, and his deputy, the Children’s Defender”reacts the National Convention of Child Protection Associations (Cnape).
On the collection and processing of alerts, “the priority is not to create an additional circuit within national education, but to make it more reliable and improve coordination with the existing one”adds this federation of 180 associations managing child protection services in a press release. Especially with the number “119 – Hello Childhood in Danger” where number of situations reported “already come from the school environment or national education or extracurricular professionals”according to Cnape.
“Rather than creating a new internal level in National Education”it should be better “strengthen operational coordination” between the rectorates and the cells for collecting concerning information (CRIP), considers the Convention.