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In the classroom, the middle school students listen attentively. Facing them is Charline Tyré, a representative of the association "Colosse aux pieds d'argile" (Colossus with feet of clay). The organization was created in 2013 and is now recognized as a public utility because of its commitment to fighting sexual violence and hazing. With an educational approach and carefully chosen vocabulary, Charline Tyré tackles sensitive subjects. She looks at them from different angles, such as the very topical issue of social media. The eighth, ninth, and tenth graders, who visited Mireille Choisy Middle School on Monday, January 26, and Tuesday, January 27, did not hesitate to ask questions. The same was true of the adults from the island's sports associations, who also attended a meeting on Monday and Wednesday evening. This information and awareness campaign was carried out in Saint Barthélemy on the initiative of the Territorial Olympic and Sports Committee (CTOS), in partnership with the association "Colosse aux pieds d'argile" and with the support of the local education authority, the prefecture, and the territorial collectivity.
Project managers Andy Armongon (school board), Aurélie Soucy (Territorial Olympic and Sports Committee), and Axel Ribera (Colosse aux pieds d'argile association) addressed the topics of preventing sexual violence, harassment, and hazing in associations and schools during meetings at Mireille Choisy Middle School.
"Fighting all forms of violence"
As Aurélie Soucy, project manager at the CTOS, explains, the latter is also defined by its social orientation. "Raising awareness, informing and protecting young people is part of our mission," she explains. "To fight against all forms of violence." Adults, supervisors and leaders of sports associations also benefit from information sessions. "So that they have the tools and the mindset to protect young people, but also to protect themselves," emphasizes Axel Ribera, project manager for the association "Colosse aux pieds d'argile" (Colossus with feet of clay). He adds: "We present the legal framework and concrete examples so that adults can recognize the warning signs given by a child who is not doing well. Then we need to give them the tools to know how to proceed."
During meetings with students, the association's story is presented through a short video in which the founder, Sébastien Boueilh, recounts his experience. A victim of rape between the ages of 12 and 16, he explains on the association's website that he remained silent for eighteen years. "My only lifeline was rugby," he says. In 2009, he managed to break his silence and filed a complaint against his cousin's husband, who was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison. "A long process"
"Our goal is for children to know how to identify an abuser," explains Axel Ribera. "They need to know what to do and who to talk to, both when it concerns them and when it concerns one of their friends. The goal is always the same: to protect them." " Andy Armongon, project manager at the Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy education authority, emphasizes that these meetings are part of "emotional and sexual education programs." He adds: "The goal is to support children so that they can grow as citizens. " This is why the CTOS, the association, and the education authority work together with both community organizations and the national education system. "It is the education authority that allows us to work with students, after a lot of groundwork because the subject is sensitive and topical," emphasizes Aurélie Soucy.
On Monday evening, again at Mireille Choisy Middle School, a meeting was organized with educators, leaders, and volunteers from the island's associations and sports clubs. This was followed on Wednesday, January 28, by a conference on the theme: "Sexual violence: what are we talking about?" Once again, members of sports organizations, as well as parents and the general public on the island, were invited to attend.
For both the CTOS and the local education authority, it is essential that these information and awareness-raising meetings continue. This is so that topics such as sexual and other forms of violence, harassment, and hazing are no longer taboo. But also, and above all, to provide children with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves, in particular by not being afraid to confide in others.
