On October 15, Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, announced a "new stage" in the fight against sexist and sexual violence (SGBV) A 7-million-euro global plan to turn the tide of fear". After a year marked by the unveiling of VSS incidents at the Instituts d'Études Politiques, ENS Lyon and CentraleSupélec, which led to several investigations by the Inspection Générale, firm proposals were eagerly awaited. As a result 7 million euros budget spread over 4 years, 21 measures in 4 areas :
- Training and awareness-raising for the entire ESR community;
- Strengthening reporting systems ;
- Improving communication about the devices ;
- Valuing the commitment of students and staff.
This plan was co-constructed with ESR players as part of a working group initiated in spring 2021 by the MESRI. The CPED took part in this working group alongside the establishment conferences.In addition, we have had strong links with the Ministry's departments for many years, links that have been formalized since the December 2017 conference. This long-term effort has enabled us to identify priorities and expectations in the field, which are updated at each meeting with our members (the most recent ones at Camp des Milles in June 2021 highlighted the expectations of schools, student associations and staff alike). As the representative association of ESR vice-presidents and gender equality officers, we welcome the Ministry's commitments, whose unprecedented budgetary envelope marks the start of a new cycle in the care of victims of SGBV. The cross-disciplinary nature of gender equality missions means that the CPED must be mobilized tenfold in all areas of the plan. It is therefore not surprising that a part of the national training is provided by our network VSS Formation (ANEF, CPED, JuriSup).
This action plan does, however, contain a blind spot, rightly pointed out by Clasches: the absence of any consideration of the link with disciplinary procedures, and in particular the sanctions imposed.. How can we ensure effective and fair treatment of victims when they are invisible in the procedures? How can we justify the frequency with which sanctions are weak or non-existent, or are immediately rejected by the Cneser? The responsibility of our establishments, the credibility of our systems and our relationship of trust with victims are all at stake.
We are also paying close attention to the measures envisaged in this plan for the recognition of equal opportunities functions. These encouraging proposals cannot replace the broader issue of resources: our recognition is fundamental, but it will above all require sustainable budgets, the creation of equality and diversity departments in schools and the recruitment of dedicated staff.. We regret that a large part of the budget allocated to this plan is spent on calls for projects, which encourages competition between establishments for limited, one-off resources.This scattering of funds does not facilitate pooling or networking, but rather leads to a retreat into isolated, albeit relevant, initiatives.
The presentation of the results of our survey "Perimeters and Resources of Equality-Diversity Missions" at our next conference (December 2 and 3 at UPEC) will enable us to objectivize the resources and obstacles encountered by equality-diversity mission managers.. On this point, and in order to make progress in the professionalization of policies to combat sexist and sexual violence in the ESR, we are at the disposal of the Minister to present this work to her and move forward towards a concrete improvement of tools, procedures and systems..
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