"Violence must really become everyone's business"

• Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu is organizing a progress point on Wednesday on the action plan announced in February to combat sexual violence in the world of sport.
• Appointed ministerial delegate in charge of these questions, Fabienne Bourdais steers the work and the implementation of all measures.
• It details for "20 Minutes" everything that has already been put in place in recent months and plans for the next measures.

Fabienne Bourdais is the trusted woman of Roxana Maracineanu on the delicate subject of sexual violence in the world of sport. Appointed ministerial delegate at the national convention on the prevention of this violence, on February 22, this inspector general of education, sport and research (IGESR) has the mission of ensuring the piloting and the implementation of all the measures that should make it possible to tackle this problematic, which has become a priority after the revelations of the skater Sarah Abitbol, ​​followed by many others. “Our system has failed for far too long, on every floor. Do not wait, act now, with total mobilization, without concession, "said the Minister of Sports at the convention. While the latter must give a press conference this Wednesday to take stock of the action plan, Fabienne Bourdais explains to 20 Minutes what have been her actions since taking office.

What have been your priorities since your appointment?

Three missions have been entrusted to me by the Minister. There is securing the processing of reports of sexual violence, which arrive at the cell established at the Sports Directorate; setting up the honorability check for volunteers in associations; and the construction of a national violence prevention plan, with all the actors. This is the first mission on which I have been asked to focus first.

What does this securing consist of?

For these reports potentially constituting an offense or a crime, there can be legal proceedings, but also proceedings which are the responsibility of the State services, which are called administrative police measures. In the sports world, there is a third type of procedure, called disciplinary procedures, for acts occurring within the framework of a Federation or which involve a person dismissed from a Federation. She is responsible for it. We have clearly seen, in recent cases, that their implementation was a delicate issue.

Clearly, the goal is to avoid that business is put under the carpet?

Yes, the first objective is to make sure that anyone who has information justifying an investigation reports it. It is a real issue. The aim is also to prevent a Federation from having the opportunity to intervene because it did not have the information. It can happen. If an administrative ban is taken and the Federation concerned does not know it, it cannot be asked to take measures. It is not always easy. All of these procedures require multiple checks to protect the victim and the respondent.

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How is good repute for volunteers also an important issue?

In the sports code, a person, volunteer or professional, who has supervisory functions or the organization of activities, is subject to an integrity check. Professionals have the obligation to declare themselves and be issued a professional card, valid for five years, with automatic control of B2 [in the criminal record] and FIJAIS [File of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses] every years. If there has been a conviction in the meantime, we know and we can act. We are currently working on the issue of volunteers because there is no systematic and automatic control. I am the president of a club, I have a sports instructor or an executive on whom I have a doubt, I can ask the departmental management to verify this honorability. But it's piecemeal. We are going to set up a system where we will cross the file of volunteers fired in the Federations and who exercise supervisory functions with the FIJAIS. The only difference with the professionals is that it is the Federations, and not the people themselves, who will do it.

What assessment do you have of the experience with this respectability check carried out in the Center-Loire Valley football league?

It is not quite finished due to containment. But we have already relied on it to think about the generalization of the system. It is a file crossing device, with a consultation of the B2. For the generalization, we will favor the consultation of FIJAIS, because it contains the most serious convictions. This experiment was very enlightening, especially on the issue of file compatibility. There are a lot of technical issues to settle, because it is a fairly cumbersome system to set up. This good repute will concern around two million people at the start of the school year; the tools must follow.

It will be implemented in all the Leagues of the FFF, right?

Absolutely, we started on a test phase at the start of the school year, from September to December. We aim to generalize to all Federations from January 1, 2021.

Being able to rely on the FFF, which is the most powerful Federation in France, was a big plus for you?

Of course. Already, volume question, if things work with this Federation, we know they will work for others. And then it is important that such a Federation mobilizes alongside us on a subject like this. It is a very good example.

Overall, do the Federations seem ready for this big change, to collaborate fully?

Yes. And they have an interest in it. That the administration offers them a tool to identify if there are sexual predators among their licensees, that can only serve them. There will necessarily be a start-up delay, due to the technical aspects already mentioned. In any case, the Federations are ready and mobilized.

Do you feel, from where you are, that speech has really been freed since the revelations of Sarah Abitbol?

Yes, absolutely. It's complicated to measure, and it's probably just the beginning, but I can clearly answer in the affirmative. The Minister of Sports will surely give some details on the number of reports at her press conference [this Wednesday].

Did you hesitate before accepting this central role in the objective of the Minister of Sports to take charge of this serious subject?

The minister has given me great confidence. No, I didn't hesitate much. These are subjects on which I have been working for many years. I know how much room for improvement we need to work on. What also interests me in this position is being able to put the Minister's commitment in a very practical way and to work in a concerted manner with all of the players so that it really becomes everyone's business. This is a real challenge. And I believe that things are changing, in a very decisive way.

Do you feel it in the relationships you can have with the leaders of the Federations?

Absolutely. We are building things, whether in terms of prevention or action. And where things do not progress as they should, we will not hesitate to question the prerogatives of each other. We are talking about protecting the public, minors, we are clearly in sovereign state missions. It's impossible to compromise with that. I retain the Minister's commitment on the subject, which we have already seen implemented and which we are implementing in a sustainable manner. It is complicated because it is an extremely sensitive subject. There are human dramas behind it. Things don't necessarily go as fast as some people would like, but we need to establish a framework, an organization. We owe absolute respect to the victims, but also to the accused persons. Ensuring state neutrality in the handling of cases is fundamental.

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• Interview
• Ministry of Sports
• Roxana Maracineanu
• Sexual violence
• Sport