Trial of the Nice attack: “We live in a violent world, so do our children”, how to approach the issue as a family ?

Addressing the issue of violence with children is essential. Unsplash illustration

Since Monday, April 22, the appeal trial of two accused in the context of the attack of July 14, 2016 on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice began. Scheduled to last two months, one of the highlights of the hearing will be the speaking of children.

Violence is at the heart of the news. From the war between Israel and Hamas, to that in Ukraine, from the opening of the appeal trial for the Nice attack, where children will recount the horror, through the news items each one more sordid than the other, impossible to extract oneself from. Children cannot escape it either and it is not desirable.

"Silence is the worst thing that can be done, especially when the adult is himself affected by an event& quot;, asserts Christiane Moreno-Fresu, psychopractitioner in Gard.

Cathartic function

On the occasion of the unprecedented testimony of children during the appeal hearing of the Nice attacks, we asked him how best to support children in the face of violence, experienced or seen.< /p>

For this professional, "a cathartic function will take place, that is to say liberating, saving. In fact, these young people will become ex-primers, bring out through words the suffering they carried inside, within themselves, during testimony in court.

What happens when a child experiences a violent event ? "Each child will react according to what  ;rsquo;it is, from his personality, from his own life story with regard to the life story of his family", explains Christiane Moreno-Fresu, who recalls that this can manifest itself in disorders of very different natures.

Prior to their testimony at the Nice trial, certain children, now adolescents, for example told our colleagues at France Info that they had developed anxiety at the sight of white trucks or even when it rained, since the rain fell on the evening of July 14, 2016 in Nice.

Do not silence the violence

And for children who are not direct victims of this violence, but who are inevitably exposed to it, the main thing is to talk about it.

Otherwise,"The child will feel that something is being hidden from him and will imagine lots of worrying scenarios. Obviously the comments will be adapted to the age of the child and it will not be a question of dwelling heavily on them. We live in a violent world in which our children also live, recalls the psychopractitioner.

Let’s also not forget that at school, children talk to each other. Without the words of adults to frame certain subjects, comments can be distorted and take on a different meaning for the child.

The protective adult

The place of the adult is preponderant. "Children should feel supported and protected by their parents. Parents must therefore let them know that they are there for them, that they are available to listen to them.

Christiane Moreno-Fresu explains that sometimes, when a violent event has also affected the parent, "some children will, perhaps, not want to , in a role reversal to protect their parents, confide in them". It is then preferable to turn to a third person.

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