School harassment: Operation “You are not alone” in Neuchâtel

ThoseViolence and intimidation between students –The struggle is organized to protect the 10 to 20% of students who are harassed

The operation “You are not alone” invites this Sunday at Neuchâtel Associations, Witnesses, Artists and Politics to fight harassment at school.

Posted today at 5:05 p.m.

Mocked, insulted, disparaged, orally or on social networks, sometimes struck, in school, in the courtyard, on the journey: students victims of harassment on the part of other children, or teenagers, live a hell. “With the consequences of isolation, suffering, dropping out of school, and the temptation sometimes to put an end to his life,” recalls Patrick Schutz.

This Neuchâtel, himself a victim during his schooling, sets up this Sunday a 2^e Edition of “You are not alone – school harassment”, “as long as the weather does not force us to cancel at the last moment” (Editor’s note: see the Facebook page). For Mélanie Comby, president of theMorane Association (the name of his 22 -year -old daughter, who killed himself in October 2023 in Valais), “this type of event is very important insofar as there is no other in French -speaking Switzerland. Often people do not always know who to contact, or have the feeling of not being listened to, or misunderstood. ”

Things are moving: on May 8, Rotary Valais will organize a day on this theme, with stands, round tables in the presence of psychiatrists, and politicians – including the State Councilor Christophe Darbellay. This canton has also just set up a support for support for the intention of municipalities and victims.

About 10 to 20% of students are harassed

School harassment has gained visibility in recent years, and studies attest to it. According to the Report PISA 2022more than 10% of compulsory school students are victims in Switzerland.

“The exact figures are hard to estimate, and I would rather say 20%,” adds Vivian Schmid, member of the biker association The Templarswhose objective is the protection of abused, mistreated and harassed children.

Founded in June 2021, this independent Swiss association, belonging to the Invicta Lux Foundation, now has 80 members throughout French-speaking Switzerland, including women, and has already received 143 calls for help, via the Hot-Line of sound sitewith a marked increase over the past two years. Each intervention is carried out by around twenty bikers. “It’s about escorting students, showing up, but never entering the school perimeter, and after having followed a strict protocol.” Procedures must have been taken upstream, and the Templars – Post Tenebras Lux only intervene, “always after warning all parties, parents, police and schools”. Children have godparents who follow the follow -up, reachable 24 hours a day.

Three calls per day for the Morane association

“We do a lot of interventions in the Valais classes, where I tell the drama experienced by my daughter Morane, who strikes the spirits and touches them deeply,” says Mélanie Comby. It is a real awareness for them. Then we exchange with students on the means available to prevent such phenomena, or alert when we are a victim, ”she continues. His association has an emergency line which manages three to four calls per day. “I remember a 9 year old girl who threatened to throw herself into the Rhône …”

Daphéé Jaquet-CHIIFFERELL, CALTRIZ THE L’ECOCOLE Tattoos, will also be present. The establishment provides personalized courses, so that the harassed regains confidence in themselves. “This is important, because timidity is one of the aspects that arouse harassment,” she explains. We also work a lot on humor and self -mockery, which disarray the harassers, because they do not expect this reaction. ”

Personalized lessons

Tatout also provides self-defense lessons, “but in any last recourse, in certain specific cases, not for the purpose of climbing violence, but to get out of dangerous situations”.

The smartphone is a weapon

Niels Rosselet-Christ had to resort to violence to get out of the hellish spiral. “I had no other choice at the time,” says the Neuchâtel deputy UDC to the Grand Council, who will speak this Sunday. “When we complained to adults, we were simply told to learn to defend ourselves.” He notes an aggravation of the situation since the appearance of cyberbullying. “You really have to realize that between stalking children’s hands A smartphone becomes a weapon.”

Coercive measures requested

He was naturally very active when writing four interpretted motions to fight harassment, voted in September 2024 by the Cantonal Parliament. “This is a first step, in order to limit the breakage. In particular, we ask to coordinate efforts between the various school circles, which in a diverse way the cantonal recommendations, and coercive measures, such as the prohibition of smartphones in the scope of the school. ”

The situation is changing, in particular with the entry into force in 2026 of the loi which inscribes obsessive harassment, or stalkingin the penal code. The departments of public education are also attentive to this phenomenon. A French -speaking platform thus raises awareness among teachers from Shared concern method (MPP), and this is just one example among others. The canton of Vaud also lists resources as part of the project Harassment – intimidation and violence between studentsset up in 2018.

Schools on the front line

However, it remains very difficult to curb harassment, recognizes Jean-Claude Marguet, head of the compulsory education service of the canton of Neuchâtel. “We take the case very seriously, notably with studies every seven years, in 2010, in 2017, and one in 2024, whose report will be released in the fall.” The data collected make it possible to identify the problems and to set up targeted actions. A poster is affixed in the toilets of all schools, with call numbers such as 143, 147, or ciao.ch For example. These addresses were also printed in the agenda of each student. In addition to these tools, the service also provides all useful links on its portalas well as a wide range of resources On various themes, including (cyber) harassment.

“From victim, I became a warrior”

Lenda, 17, was harassed throughout her schooling. Today she testifies to this ordeal, and her resilience, in the book “As if nothing”, writes with her mother, and through her songs.

Was it difficult to write this book?

Yes, because coming back to these years requires real effort on oneself, especially since the scars are still there. Harassment suffered pushed me to suicide attempts, which my mother discovered by writing this work. The goal is to dissect this phenomenon, see how it is born, and how it takes on such proportions.

How did it start?

From the first childish, with vexations, or the flight of my snack. But it was during the 7^e that things have become very hard. It all started with a rumor, according to which I have embraced a boy coveted by another girl. Unfortunately, in the secondary, I fell into the same class as the girl who had launched this rumor, and who continued to exercise her malicious grip, accompanied by a small group of followers.

Still on this story of imaginary kiss?

No, other factors have played. I am HP, hypersensitive, and these features attract harassors. A form of racism too, including on the part of certain teachers, to the gymnasium. I also stopped my studies after the first year.

Are your songs all treat harassment?

Some, like the first I published, which is also called “as if nothing”. But I have already released four singles, an EP, and an album, “Mini-moi”, is planned at the end of the year, with more focused titles, hope, on various rhythms, sometimes in English. I want to treat this theme unanswered for the atmosphere, especially during my performance this Sunday, nor to be labeled only as “the harassed singer”.

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