Students at Montreal high school allege sexual assault by another student
Posted April 12, 2022 1:32 pm.
Last Updated April 12, 2022 7:16 pm.
Montreal police launched a criminal investigation into allegations of students at a Montreal-area high school who say they were sexually assaulted by the same male student dating back to last fall.
At least four students at Des Sources High School in Dollard-des-Ormeaux are speaking out after what happened to them and are accusing the school’s administration of failing to take the situation seriously.
“We’re kind of sad, but we’re not surprised,” said Mélanie Lemay of La voix des jeunes compte, a group advocating against sexual violence in elementary and high school.
According to French language station TVA nouvelles, two students came forward anonymously saying the alleged abuser picked one of them up, pushed her against the wall, kissed her but she told him no and to stop.
Another student said: “He took me to the wall and touched my behind. I told him to stop. I pushed him hard and left. I told the director everything, but she told me not to speak and not to say anything.”
“This is not the first time that the director is not doing anything because we have someone among the collective who tried to explain what happened to her and she experienced the same level of indifference,” Lemay said.
#WATCH: “This is not the first time,” says Mélanie Lemay of La voix des jeunes compte, on the recent alleged sexual assaults at Des Sources high school in DDO not taken seriously by administration. She says she’s dealt with another similar case.
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— Alyssia (@rubertuccinews) April 12, 2022
Intervention worker with the Movement Against Rape and Incest, Vicky Zois, says feeling unheard is common for a lot of survivors.
“They feel that they’re not believed from the very beginning, that they’re not taken seriously,” she said. “There is a lack of awareness among youth, but there is also a lack of awareness among the professionals and the adults that surround them.”
Des Sources High School in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Credit: CityNews / Martin Daigle
In a statement, the school board, le Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys says: “[…] The students who reported the facts to school officials were encouraged to speak to the competent authorities in order to shed light on this case. School staff members as well as partners have accompanied and supported the students in this process.”
“[…] The school protocol provides that it communicates without delay with youth protection and the Montreal police who analyze the situation and decide whether an investigation should be initiated.”
“[…] The alleged abuser is automatically suspended from school indefinitely and the decision to reinstate him, or not, is always taken taking into account the conditions issued by our partner-experts.”
“Calling the police or calling youth protection is part of that protocol, and it’s important to protect students, but we need to stop addressing it case by case,” said Zois. “There has to be an overall protocol that addresses the whole environment, the whole school.”
The news of the allegations at the Montreal high school comes as a Canadian student-led network – #HighSchoolToo – launches a campaign to demand action to end sexual assault in high schools nationwide, citing a survey that found that 15 per cent of girls and nine per cent of boys between the ages of 14 and 21 saying they have had a sexual act forced upon them by a peer.
Back in February, three Montreal basketball coaches at École secondaire Saint-Laurent were arrested and charged with sex crimes involving at least two minors, dating back to 2008 and 2017.
READ MORE:
Calls for sexual assault policy after St-Laurent High School coaches charged with sex crimes
“We know that this is going on,” Zois said. “When, as a society, are we going to stop being shocked or surprised and when are we going to start to address the issue at its root?”
In the alleged case of sexual assault of the student at Des Sources part of La voix des jeunes compte, who says their reports went unheard, the alleged abuser didn’t face consequences.
“The teenager who was doing those assaults was still in school and he made four other victims,” Lemay said. “This is part of the reason why we believe that if we don’t give support, they’re going to go freely and make more victims.”
Police are still investigating the most recent cases of allegations at Des Sources, but no charges have been laid.
Meanwhile, Lemay at La voix des jeunes compte, is calling for a proper follow-up in these cases to be legislated to avoid leaving youth feeling unheard.
“We’re mobilizing towards creating a law that would make sure that all the adults who are in that position of authority are obligated to act upon and make sure that they are trained as well to receive those testimonies.”
