Barely eleven years… The decision of Evaelle to put an end to her life creates a real shock wave in France. The girl was bullied at school by her so-called ‘comrades’, but the parents also point an accusing finger at a teacher. To reinforce their alarm signal, they now share their story.
Sebastien and Marie are left with a lot of questions. However, the omens were there: in February, the couple from Herblay had already filed a complaint about serious harassment at school. Their daughter had to take the necessary insults, sometimes she also had to take physical blows.
Evaelle moved to a new school, but the intimidations continued to haunt her. Until she had enough of it almost two weeks ago. Friends and relatives today say goodbye to her in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
“Treated like a fool”
The parents have meanwhile submitted a second complaint. “We don’t want to say too much so as not to disturb the investigation, but it is now clear that not only the students went wrong,” Marie explains.
“One of the teachers has given the impetus to those harassments,” a friend testifies. “She treated her like a fool. If something didn’t work out right away, she made it clear that you are worth nothing. You are the worst in the class,” she said. Another student adds that she “mainly focused on the weakest links”.
“Very clever”
Sebastien and Marie don’t see her that way. “She was cheerful and very clever for her age. And she had great empathy, she dreamed of becoming a teacher herself later.”
“Evaelle was always ready to help others. She wanted to be everyone’s girlfriend, sometimes a little exaggerated. And then that is being abused.”
“So to speak, but teasing”
“We teach our children to be empathetic, but not everyone is raised that way. And then they become too sensitive to the harsh reality,” the parents say. “Young people today don’t even realize what they are doing wrong. In their eyes, they are just teasing. From kindergarten, there should already be lessons on empathy, as happens in Finland.”
The prevention measures are also insufficient in their eyes. “Bullying is bad, that is made clear enough. But how should a victim crawl out of that well? Nothing is said about that. Notify an adult? For them, that mountain usually remains insurmountable.”
