VSS: A Chronicle of Everyday Violence

In 2020, a survey conducted by ANEMF, and subsequently replicated locally in 2022 by the ADEMMOOS association, revealed alarming figures regarding the extent of gender-based and sexual violence (GBV) experienced by health students. In response to these findings, our dean, Prof. Isabelle Laffont, took action by adopting a zero-tolerance policy against SGBV.  She also created the position of “Vice Dean in charge of student well-being, prevention of SGB, and psychosocial risks,” which she entrusted to Prof. Emilie Ollié, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Montpellier University Hospital.

Starting in 2023, under his leadership and at the initiative of Prof. Carine Bécamel and Prof. Emilie Olié, the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine introduced a mandatory five-hour training program focused on combating gender-based and sexual violence for DFGSM2 students:

  • A two-hour session on the concept of consent, led by Dr. Céline Bais (Assistant Professor, psychiatrist, and coordinator of the Regional Center for Professionals Working with Perpetrators of Sexual Violence in Languedoc-Roussillon, CRIAVS-LR) and Ms. Magali Teillard Dirat (clinical psychologist at CRIAVS-LR)
  • Three hours devoted to vulnerability resulting from the use of psychoactive substances and to legal aspects: definitions, procedures for initiating administrative proceedings within the faculty (presentation of the online pre-reporting tool) and the university, as well as existing legal proceedings. This module was led by Dr. Laurent Martrille (MCU-PH, medical examiner, head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Montpellier University Hospital and court-appointed expert), Dr. Olivier Mathieu (MCU-PH, toxicologist, head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Montpellier University Hospital and court-appointed expert), and Prof. Carine Bécamel (neurobiologist, Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Functional Genomics).

This year, to deepen this discussion and foster dialogue, the faculty decided to try something new with an educational format that combines learning, emotion, and interaction. A play titled “VSS or Chronicle of Everyday Violence,” performed by the Acthéâtre theater company, was presented for the first time at a medical school. Through scenes depicting everyday life, DFGSM2 students from Montpellier and Nîmes were able to gain a concrete understanding of the impact and consequences of gender-based and sexual violence.

This moving and deeply engaging performance sparked a discussion bringing together the various stakeholders involved in supporting, reporting, and caring for victims and perpetrators of sexual and sexual violence. It was a powerful and unprecedented moment, held at the heart of the world’s oldest medical school, that forcefully affirmed our community’s determination to combat sexual and sexual violence.

A big thank you to the Acthéâtre theater company and its actors Alain Lagneau, Isabel Jeannin, Claire Couture, and Edouard Eftimakis,

As well as to the various participants:

Prof. Carine Bécamel (neurobiologist, Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine, IGF)

Dr. Laurent Martrille (MCU-PH, medical examiner, head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Montpellier University Hospital, and court-appointed expert),

Dr. Olivier Mathieu (MCU-PH, toxicologist, head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Montpellier University Hospital, and court-appointed expert),

Dr. Céline Bais (postdoctoral researcher, psychiatrist, and coordinator of CRIAVS-LR),

Ms. Magali Teillard Dirat (clinical psychologist at CRIAVS-LR),

Ms. Eve Montalti (clinical psychologist at CRIAVS-LR),

Warrant Officer Léa Milheau and Warrant Officer Philippe Martens (both from the Lunel Family Protection Center)

Juan Pujol (the faculty’s new student vice-dean and president of the Ademos association) and Paul Turpin (vice-president of the Ademos association) for their active participation.

Ms. Hélène Herrada and Mr. Lionel Magliari, along with the entire Administrative Management team, as well as the Student Affairs, General Affairs, and Communications departments