New government statistics published Wednesday reveal the pervasive nature of sexist and sexual violence within the French education system, with incidents beginning in primary school and intensifying during adolescence.
Concerning Figures from the Classroom
The data, compiled by the National Observatory on Violence Against Women and the education ministry’s evaluation directorate, was released in a joint statement by Education Minister Edouard Geffray and Minister Delegate for the Fight Against Discrimination Aurore Bergé.
The report details that in CM1-CM2 (equivalent to grades 4-5):
- 15% of pupils report being victims of voyeurism in school toilets
- 8% say they have been forcibly kissed at least once during the school year
- Girls and boys are exposed to sexual violence in comparable proportions at this age
In secondary school, the figures show 15% of girls and 12% of boys report exposure to at least one form of sexual violence.
A Systemic Issue Requiring Systemic Response
“These incidents are in no way isolated,” the ministers stated. “They affect all students, girls and boys, at all ages and in all institutions, whether public or private under contract.”
The executive branch emphasized that adolescence represents “a real tipping point,” noting that the data “shows that sexist and sexual violence appear from elementary school, intensify in adolescence, and affect girls more as age and school level increase.”
Political Response and Proposed Measures
The release of these statistics coincided with Minister Geffray’s announcement of his intention to create a children’s rights defender within the national education system.
Also on Wednesday, MPs Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout submitted a legislative proposal addressing what they called the “urgency to act” on school violence. This text stems partly from their work on the parliamentary inquiry commission that followed the Bétharram scandal.
The government’s publication of this comprehensive data marks a significant step in acknowledging the scale of the challenge, prompting calls for strengthened protective measures throughout the educational journey.
