Violence against children: Enfance & Partage calls for a protection framework before the questionnaire
Starting in November 2026, the Ministry of National Education plans to administer a questionnaire on sexual violence to students from kindergarten through high school. Enfance & Partage supports the goal of better identifying violence, but raises a crucial question for children: what concrete support will be offered to them if they disclose a situation?
A questionnaire has been announced for all students.
The ministry announced the program at the start of the 2026 school year: students should be able to answer a questionnaire tailored to their age and request, if they wish, a meeting with a trusted adult. Distribution is scheduled to begin in November, but the detailed procedures for support following disclo remain a key concern for the association.
Received on September 23rd by the Minister of National Education, Édouard Geffray, Enfance & Partage and the Group for the Observation and Protection of Children against Violence (GOPEV) expressed their concerns. The association emphasizes that a questionnaire alone is insufficient to protect a child: it is essential to listen to their perspective, assess the situation, and organize an appropriate response.
After a revelation, a chain of protection is expected.
For the association, the challenge is to know in advance who will take over if a student reports violence: which adult will listen to them, which professional will they be referred to, and within what timeframe? It also raises the difficulty of anonymous responses, which can make it more complex to identify and support a child in danger.
Enfance & Partage believes these issues must be addressed before the questionnaire is published. Without answers or support after sharing their experiences, a child might feel unheard and hesitate to seek help again. The organization therefore requests that the questionnaire be integrated into a broader child protection process, rather than simply being a collection of isolated testimonies.
This initiative should be distinguished from « Let’s Break the Silence ».
Another tool already exists as part of the « Break the Silence, Act Together » plan. It concerns boarding school students and those who participated in a school trip involving at least one overnight stay. These questionnaires, which can be anonymous or include names, address violence that occurred in the boarding school or during the trip. The Ministry specifies that in the event of an alert, interviews with social workers, healthcare professionals, or psychologists can be arranged.
The questionnaire announced for November has a different scope: it is to be administered to all students, from kindergarten to the final year of high school, and focuses on sexual violence. The two initiatives should therefore not be confused. The Ministry provides details of the « Breaking the Silence » program on Éduscol .
Guarantees demanded before launch
Before any generalization, Enfance & Partage calls for, in particular, training for professionals, verification that medical, social, and child protection resources are available in each region, and the establishment of a national protocol for handling disclos. The association also calls for adapting the questionnaire to the age, disability, and communication abilities of children, and then assessing its comprehension and the follow-up actions taken based on the responses.
The ministry presents the questionnaire as a way for students to share their situation and request an interview. For children and teenagers, the practical issue remains continuity: being able to speak, be heard, and access appropriate support. The ministry’s announcement about the questionnaire is included in its communication regarding the start of the 2026 school year .
Source: Childhood and Sharing
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