Thursday April 18, in the same town of Viry-Châtillon where a schoolboy was beaten to death two weeks ago, the Prime Minister announced new measures to prevent and further punish violence between young people. What are they ?
Violence between young people seems to have taken a new turn. After the violent attack on Samara, a 13-year-old girl, in front of her college in Montpellier at the beginning of April, it was a death in the same conditions, that of Shemseddine, 15, who left the town of Vitry Châtillon in mourning. To answer the “astonishment” of the French, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, therefore chose this place to announce new measures aimed at curbing this climate.
College open 50 hours, the most violent young people sent to boarding schools
His first proposal amounts to removing young people who tend to become violent and placing them in boarding schools. “Before a young person falls into delinquency, when we notice that he is starting to hang around in the streets, we will suggest to parents that their child be sent to a boarding school, far from his neighborhood and those who pushed him to dive”. According to him, it will therefore be a proposal, not an obligation, which Gabriel Attal understands as an opportunity, not as a sanction.
Likewise, students in priority zones (i.e. 362 establishments) will currently have to stay at school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, or 50 hours per week (homework help included).
Parents to be “taken more responsibility”
The Prime Minister's second strong measure particularly targets parents, who according to him must “answer for the actions of their children.. Gabriel Attal thus believes that it is necessary “make resigning parents responsible”. What does this mean ? That he thinks about “repress more widely and more severely the failures of parents to fulfill their obligations”, but also that “defaulting parents may be subject to community service.
The Prime Minister thus intends to sign a contract of commitment to respect the authority and values of the Republic between parents, establishments and students. This document will aim to “remind each family of their rights and obligations vis-à-vis the educational institution and the education of their children”et “could open to sanctions” particularly in case “obvious lack of attendance” or “non-participation of parents in the education of their children”. Such a contract is planned for the start of the school year in September.
Sanctions for exams and Parcoursup
Finally, the former Minister of Education wishes to directly sanction violence committed by young people, through exams and the school report of the people concerned. He said he was in favor of students “which most seriously disrupt classes” are sanctioned for their college certificate, their CAP or even their baccalaureate.
A mention “disruptive student” could also be indicated in Parcoursup, and would only disappear after carrying out activities of general interest and an irreproachable attitude.
Too light or too repressive? The ads are not convincing
If the problem of violence between young people is very prominent in the news, the Premier's announcements have not convinced us. Between the regret of an “authoritarian posture” for some and that of a “comm effect” for others, the voices opposing it are multiplying. However, two arguments stand out.
On the one hand, some denounce an announcement effect, but measures that are still too light, as regrets Jean-Rémi Girard, president of the high school and college union (Snalc)
“The educational commission in the first level, not sure that it changes much. As for the “signing of a contract” between the establishment and the parents of students: they already sign the internal regulations and other charters, it has never reduced attacks and violence” he said on BFMTV.
On the other hand, many associations fear a situation relying solely on repression and no longer prevention. On the Unicef website, President Adeline Hazan is concerned:
“All of these measures do not seem sufficiently anchored in the prevention and support of families, professionals and young perpetrators of violence. Some of them risk worsening inequalities of opportunity from a very young age for vulnerable children and young people.
