Chimie ParisTech-PSL joined forces with PSL University to fight violence against women by observing a minute’s silence at 12 noon on November 25.
On November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres is organizing a collective minute’s silence in all its component establishments. The purpose of this moment of silence is to pay tribute to the women who have suffered violence, to raise community awareness, and to affirm our commitment and determination to combat such violence. This year, the entire PSL University community has been particularly affected by this violence. The minute’s silence on November 25 will be an opportunity to pay special tribute to Philippine Le Noir de Carlan, a student at Dauphine-PSL, without forgetting the other victims in our communities.
An alarming context
In 2024, violence against women remains a global scourge: one woman in three is a victim of violence in her lifetime (WHO, 2021) [1].
In France, according to the Observatoire national des violences faites aux femmes[2], 321 ,000 women aged 18 to 74 are victims of physical, sexual and/or psychological violence perpetrated by their spouse or ex-spouse every year, and almost 9 out of 10 women (87%) have already experienced gender-based or sexual violence in transport[3]. Such violence exists everywhere and in many forms… including at university!
PSL takes action
The survey carried out by PSL’s “cellule d’écoute et de veille” in 2021-2022 confirms this: 13.6% of the 1,800 male and female student respondents said they had been victims of sexist and sexual remarks at the University, 5% had been sexually assaulted during their studies and 6% of staff had been victims of sexist behavior. Violence against women forms a continuum: all its manifestations must be condemned!
At Chimie ParisTech-PSL, Carine Robert, the school’s Diversity referent since 2019 and correspondent for the PSL listening unit, is heavily involved in this field. She proposes and organizes actions aimed at our new students, such as the prevention/awareness amphitheaters on discrimination, harassment and sexist and sexual violence for the first years of the engineering cycle. Every year, the Acthéatre theater company Le miroir aux gens (Alain Lagneau, Eve Nottet, Lylian Jolliot) comes to raise awareness among students and staff of addictions and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) through the use of theatrical fiction, followed by a debate with the audience. Carine Robert also offers presentations dedicated to the fight against SGBV, highlighting more theoretical tools such as definitions of the penal code and disciplinary procedures, and reminding participants of the existence of listening and support services, such as the PSL listening and monitoring unit.
Moreover, there is a real convergence of interests on this issue within the establishment, since students have also taken up this issue by creating in 2023 a dedicated student association made up of 17 student volunteers – Cparité, which actively fights against harassment and sexist and sexual violence. In 2023, CParité launched a campaign to gather anonymous testimonials from the CPéenne community, which was then used to create a poster exhibition of the testimonials in the school’s Grande Galerie, highlighting the violence experienced.
At the same time, PSL University is committed to combating violence and discrimination in the broadest sense, and to promoting gender equality, by recruiting a dedicated project manager within the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, Accessibility) unit, which coordinates the actions of all our establishments.
Since the publication of its 2021 gender equality plan, the University and its components have made it compulsory for all new arrivals, students and staff to receive training in the prevention of sexist and sexual violence, and, via the HRS4R label, are working to promote professional equality, particularly in the field of research.
A joint action on November 25 in the form of a minute’s silence
All students, teachers, researchers, administrative staff and all members of our community gathered for a moment of silence on the school steps at 12 noon on Monday November 25. In observing this minute’s silence, we pledge to continue our efforts to build a university and a society where everyone can feel safe and respected.
This moment of remembrance is also an opportunity to highlight the commitment and work of the student association CParité – . CParité, which has organized a poster exhibition and quiz on the issue of violence against women for the entire CPéeene community in the Grande Galerie.
Find out more about the Acthéâtre theater company Le miroir aux gens.
Find out more about Carine Robert, Diversity Coordinator at Chimie ParisTech-PSL