Physical and sexual violence, cyber harassment… Law enforcement opens safe chats dedicated to minors

Minors now have a special platform, launched on Thursday, to alert the police and gendarmerie if they experience or witness violence.

With chat screens open on their computers, uniformed police officers provide advice to victims of violence across France, 24 hours a day. Among them, Celine. “We had domestic violence from a woman who came to talk about itdepicts a policewoman who has just received a message. Apparently, this was the first time he dared to talk about it. The main goal is to make this woman understand that what she is experiencing is not normal, that in love, no violence can be tolerated. And then, we guided him, we did everything so that he pushed open the door of the police station to file a complaint.”

Initially the masécurité.fr platform was designed more for adults, but quickly, half of the reports concerned violence against minors. “There is an effect on freedom of expression through digital toolsexplains Stéphane Lapeyre, head of the digital receipts division. “The facilitation aspect is a way to reach people who do not necessarily cross the boundaries of the police station or gendarmerie.”

Therefore, the police and gendarmerie launched Thursday, November 20, on the occasion of International Children’s Rights Day, a safe chat for minors who are victims or witnesses of physical and sexual violence. For these young people, chat offers easily accessible and safe support. “Over time, we realized that minors are a specific audience who may need to adapt our site to make access easier.“, continued Stéphane Lapeyre.

Therefore, the platform was recently redesigned to better guide them and offer additional resources. From the home page, the portal is now intended for minors. Teens will be able to explain the problem step by step using simple questions. The first is in what environment did he encounter violence? “At home, on the road, during sports, on social networks and at school, middle school and high schoolexplained the head of the digital reception division. These are the main places where underage victims can be ‘targeted’, if you will allow me such an expression.”

Among the many subjects discussed on the site: cyber harassment, blackmail, drug consumption and the question of sexual violence, are particular issues, recalls Laure Reynaud, police commissioner in the digital reception division: “One in ten minors is a victim of sexual violence and more than a third are family victims. And it is these minors that we want to reach with our space, because they cannot be defended by the people responsible.”

A way to break this taboo on violence. By 2024, more than 70,000 minor victims of sexual violence will have been recorded by the police and gendarmerie.