The French Education Ministry will add questions about sexist and sexual violence to the annual anti-harassment questionnaire for about 10 million students from kindergarten through high school, starting with a nationwide rollout backed by an explicit priority to launch the survey in November.

The updated questionnaire will be integrated into the existing school harassment survey and is expected to yield explosive, data-driven results on gender-based and sexual violence.

Education professionals stress the need for trained staff to listen without leading, clear procedures for involving others, and safeguarding students’ well-being during and after disclosures.

Geffray highlighted that publicizing these measures strengthens safer school environments, with the press conference held at Lycée Louis-Arago in Paris symbolizing social mixity.

Geffray warned the survey results could be earthshaking given the perceived scale of the problem.

There are unresolved questions about who processes responses and files reports, along with debates over the moral and legal implications of anonymous reporting.

The press conference also covered the prohibition of mobile phones in high schools and cyberattacks the ministry faced in late July, reflecting broader digital safety concerns.

This article is part of ongoing, subscription-based coverage of education policy ahead of the new school year.

The initiative follows scrutiny tied to the Lyhanna affair and an audit into tens of thousands of ongoing child-sexual-violence cases, exposing weaknesses in reporting and investigations.

Experts view the move as a major advance for tracking violence against minors, providing yearly quantified data to raise awareness among children, parents, and professionals.

There are implementation concerns, including how to design for young children (symbols or emojis) and ensuring responses lead to concrete protection actions.

Geffray warns the results could be seismic, noting the education system is a primary notifier of abuse and citing tens of thousands of serious concerns about sexual violence or parental neglect reported last year.