Six months after the opening of an investigation into rape within the Centrale Supélec engineering school, the newspaper the world reveals cases of sexist and sexual violence within the prestigious Polytechnic school.
What are the facts ?
Polytechnique conducted an internal study on the subject of gender-based and sexual violence, at the request of student associations. A questionnaire was sent to 3,400 young people who entered the school between 2018 and 2021, all courses combined. Among the 2,100 responses received, 23% of respondents reported having been victims of sexual assault during their studies at l’X.
The victims evoke touching on the chest, the buttocks or the fact that they have been rubbed against them or that they have been kissed without their consent. 11% of women also claim to have received insistent sexual proposals “despite their refusal”. Three students say they were drugged without their knowledge during a party.
And 11 people, including 10 women, say they were victims of attempted rape or rape during their schooling. An “intolerable record”, judged the director general of the school, François Bouchet, with the Figaro student.
Were these facts known?
Nearby World, François Bouchet indicates that he was aware of four situations “which had been reported via our dedicated cell”. He explains that he has taken several individual sanctions (work of general interest, bans on evenings, days off, etc.) since the start of his mandate in 2017 and having dismissed a military officer for his inappropriate behavior with young women.
The daily also mentions the publication of a special issue of the weekly student magazine, IK, in February 2017, with several testimonials from students. Among these, remarks from a military official to a student who wore a suit: “You have to be careful what you wear, especially in front of an audience of men, it can blur the message. I had trouble concentrating during your presentation. »
In February 2022, a student told in a new special how macho culture still permeates the school. In her story, she cites in particular the forced hugs of alcoholic students in the evening or even a supervisor who tells a student in sportswear that he is “delighted to see her in a bra”.
How did management react?
The results of the survey were shared at the beginning of March within the school. In mid-March, during the board of directors, a plan to fight against sexist and sexual violence was presented: training of students, formalization of a system of sanctions, new communication on existing listening systems… The plan must still be improved through working groups.
“Today, the system in the establishment is based on prevention and treatment, with, for example, amphitheaters to train students, listening cells, a psychology department and even a dedicated office at the Palaiseau police station. “, explains François Bouchet to Figaro Étudiant.
“Nevertheless, students must be actors in the fight against sexual violence, it is a collective responsibility of the school. They must also talk about it and allow us to be able to react. Without the names of the alleged victims or aggressors, we cannot work or put in place sanctions,” he adds.