the justice of France found guilty four teenagers accused of harassing a boy because of his sexual orientation who eventually committed suicide. This is a new case of bullying that shocked French society at the beginning of the year and that once again put under the microscope not only school bullying but also the responsibility of educational institutions to contain young people.
A juvenile court in Épinal, northeastern France, was in charge of trying the four students accused of “bullying leading to suicide” of Lucas, a 13-year-old boy who was teased for being gay. Although justice did not link the suicide to bullying (something that would have aggravated the penalty), those convicted could still face up to 18 months in jail. The penalty, meanwhile, will be known on January 22, 2024, shortly after the first anniversary of the event.
Details of the bullying case in France
Lucas’s family had been denouncing that he was a victim of bullying at the hands of other students at the secondary school located in the city of Goldbey, they made fun of him and insulted him for being gay. However, on January 7, the boy decided to end his life, but before leaving a note in which he expressed the reasons for his decision.
This Monday, June 5, the French court announced the sentence that, despite the fact that it was less than expected, gave him “relief” to Lucas’s mother. “I wanted my son to be recognized as bullying victim, It’s all I owed him, it’s my fight now,” said the woman, who was wearing a T-shirt with her son’s face on it as well as other protesters who accompanied her.
Lucas’s was the first case of these characteristics registered so far in 2023 and shocked public opinion. At that time, the Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, sent his condolences to his family and friends. “We think of all the students like him who are bullied: his desperation is the basis of my determination to prevent all forms of bullying. No child should end up committing suicide,” he said.
Bullying, discrimination and violence, the keys in the case of the twins
At Lucas’s school, for their part, they described the sad outcome as a “dramatic event” and indicated that they had set up a psychological unit for students and teachers to “manage the situation” and commit to “the fight against bullying.”
Four months after the fateful event, those convicted of bullying Lucas face an 18-month prison sentence that will be announced on January 22, 2024. The sentence would have been up to five years in prison if the crime had been linked. bullying to suicide
Other cases of bullying in France
After the commotion caused by the case, the government of Emmanuel Macron expressed its intention to strengthen the fight against bullying since it is a recurring issue in the academic institutions of the French country.
Lucas’s case was added to that of Lindsay, a 13-year-old girl who made the same decision on May 12 in Vendin-le-Vieil (north) and the court charged four minors with “bullying that led to suicide” . Shortly before, on April 29, a 10-year-old boy committed suicide near Lyon, in the southeast of the country, in a context of bullying, according to his parents.