Lindsay’s suicide: Family appeals, Pope Ndiaye admits ‘collective failure’

“If everyone had done their part to protect Lindsay, she would have been alive.” The family of a 13-year-old girl who killed herself after being bullied at school, Thursday 1^Eh June, who filed a complaint, in particular, against the rectory and Facebook.

Three complaints have been filed against the college’s management, the Lille Academy and the police officers in charge of the investigation “due to the lack of help for those in danger,” said the family’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, at a news conference in Vendin. le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), where the schoolboy who committed suicide on May 12 was educated. The fourth targets the social network Facebook “totally flawed” According to the lawyer.

Four minors have been charged with “school harassment that led to suicide” as part of a judicial investigation, the Bethune prosecutor announced on May 25. The main person was charged with “death threats”. All of them were under judicial control. The rectory of Lille Academy announced last week the opening of an administrative investigation and admitted that the school services could. “go to next” A young girl whom the institution knew how to harass.

“We condemn the inertia of the authorities, which seem to resent the fact that a 13-year-old girl hanged herself and her parents, who have been warning for months, have been completely abandoned.said M.^e Debuisson. “I tried everything, I did everything. We didn’t help, they let us go, completely. No support before, during or after”said Lindsey’s mother, Betty. “If they would have helped us, I am sure that my daughter would have been among us. »

” Very slow response from social networks »

Minister of Education Pap Ndiaye on Thursday evening assessed that it was a “Collective Failure”. This is the chain of events: the main instigator of the violence was first temporarily eliminated on November 14 (…), then finally eliminated on February 27, and we got the tragedy of May 12.reports Pap Ndiaye on BFMTV, who addresses the problem “cyber harassment”which in this case was taken from bullying at school.

“Mom got it, Lindsay got it, the nurse got it, CPE got it (Educational Senior Advisor), by the director” Following the harassment report, Pas-de-Calais academic director Jean-Roger Ribault said at a press conference on May 26. “We made a protocol, it gave us a disciplinary council, this disciplinary council made it possible to exclude one of the main authors of the incident.he added. “Unfortunately, it turned out to be insufficient. »

For Pap Ndiaye, social networks “have their share of responsibility”. According to him, it is necessary “The pressure is more accentuated”. “We’re going to consult with other ministries and act very strongly on social media, because beyond what they can say, we know that their response is very slow and certainly not what we expect from them.”, he hammered. The minister also confirmed that he followed “personally” Lindsay’s suicide file. Based on the judicial and administrative investigation, he assured that he was painting “If necessary, all the conclusions regarding the staff and especially the general conclusions about the way we can move forward”.

there “The family needs answers, we need to give them” In turn, the government spokesman, Olivier Veran, announced on Thursday while moving to Pas-de-Calais. he insisted “Parental Responsibility” In the fight against bullying.

A support department has been functioning in the college since May 15, and on May 24, a white march was organized in memory of the young girl.

Pope Ndiae announced a “Strengthening the Anti-Harassment Unit”, without further details. The school bullying prevention system, the Program Against Bullying in Schools (pHARE), which has been tested in primary schools and colleges in six academies since 2019, is due to complete its rollout this year. According to the ministry, 91% of colleges and 64% of schools are already involved in this program, in addition to other anti-bullying measures such as 30 20 emergency numbers (for families and victims) and 30 18 (cyberbullying). .