#MeToo hospital: what measures has the government unveiled to address sexual and sexist violence ?

Le plan s'appuie sur “quatre axes”. – Martha Dominguez de Gouveia – Illustration

Le gouvernement dévoile ce vendredi 31 mai 2024 des mesures pour ralentir les violences sexistes et sexuelles dénoncées dans le monde hospitalier.

The government is announcing several measures to curb the sexual and sexist violence strongly denounced in recent months in the hospital world, under the hashtag #MeToo hospital, in a press release from the ministry of Health published this Friday, May 31, 2024, cited by BFMTV.

The plan is based on "four axes" :

Improve the follow-up given to reports Train all professionals Deploy a victim support system Promoting greater transparency

"It is urgent to put an end to intolerable practices. It is not only the hospital but the entire sector that must react and act", assures the Minister for Health and Prevention Frédéric Valletoux.

National cell and listening line

Concretely, the executive wishes to create a national cell made up of external experts. This cell trained to fight against sexist and sexual violence must make it possible to better advance investigations so that the procedures are successful more often. It must intervene to support hospital structures when a report has been made. Prosecutors will also be made aware of issues of sexual and gender-based violence in the hospital world.

Mandatory awareness training on the subject will also be established for all health professionals, potentially lasting two half-days. They will have three years to be up to date with this training. Managers and supervisors will have to follow training in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

A listening line must also be set up by a specialized association in order to collect testimonies from victims of abuse.

National Barometer

Each hospital establishment will be required to publish every year the number of reports concerning its staff, as well as the sanctions imposed. An annual barometer of sexist and sexual violence must also be put in place. It will provide a "national monitoring tool" of this violence and to better measure the phenomenon, relates our colleagues.