Safesa (ENG)

Support unit for ESA students

---

Safesa: provide an institutional response to situations of harassment and/or sexist and sexual violence within the Higher Schools of Arts and Higher Education for Social Promotion of the Brussels Academic Center. Safesa is a project supported by the Brussels Academic Center and initiated by the Higher Schools of Arts in the Brussels region.

This project is part of a dual context. Increasingly in recent years, society has faced freedom of speech on acts of sexist and sexual violence and harassment. Whether they like it or not, institutions are impacted by this freedom of speech: facts within them are denounced, a response from them is expected and practices are questioned. In higher schools of the arts in particular, this question is all the more significant as the pedagogy developed there resorts to the intimate and exposes the body, it therefore creates more situations opening the door to ambiguity and abuse. to be able to. This context therefore requires specific attention. This one-year project will clarify the needs, expectations, and financial conditions necessary for the continued management of these issues. It will also produce instructions for students and institutions on the legal procedures to follow.

Psychological support for students

A psychological support unit has been set up and provided by two specialized psychologists, Céline Janssens and Charlotte Petitjean. This unit promotes a culture of consent particularly in the Higher Schools of the Arts but also in higher education establishments for social promotion.

Individual, confidential and free psychological support is intended for students. This support is intended for anyone affected (victim, witness, perpetrator) by problematic behavior such as harassment, discrimination (of all forms), sexist and/or sexual violence.

Where and when?

Interview requests are made by email via the address safesa@poleacabruxelles.be. Meetings are organized outside schools, in neutral and discreet places:

Monday & Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Ma Campagne district with Madame Charlotte Petitjean (Psychologist & Sexologist): make an appointment

Wednesday & Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the City Center district with Madame Céline Janssens (Clinical Psychologist, Sexologist & Psychotherapist): make an appointment

Information and appointments

cell.safesa@gmail.com and @safesa.bxl on Instagram.

Legal support to improve internal procedures within establishments The second part of this project concerns legal support for institutions with a view to being able to question existing procedures, master the obligations and responsibilities of institutions in this area, and work on our own charters.

This legal support is organized in two stages. Firstly, training is organized in March 2023 by the ASAP law firm and intended for all management of Brussels ESAs as well as staff members required to deal with situations of harassment and sexist/sexual violence. within ESAs. This training covers the following elements:

background on the status of educational establishments participating in the project and the status of their staff members,

definition of the concepts of harassment, sexual harassment, gender-based violence, etc.,

comparison between protection against sexual harassment at work and protection against sexual harassment as discrimination in the field of education,

presentation of the rules regarding discipline for members of the staff of the educational establishments concerned, and those concerning students,

evocation of the main principles in disciplinary law: definition of disciplinary misconduct (including the question of freedom of expression and academic freedom), presumption of innocence in disciplinary law, general principles of law (rights of defense, hearing alteram partem, impartiality, reasonable time), autonomy and links between criminal and disciplinary matters, measures of order, establishment of proof in disciplinary matters (including the question of anonymous testimonies and that of the necessity or not of confronting the accused person and the complainants),

examination of the cases submitted to integrate them into the written and oral presentation, ensuring that they are used as examples and that the theoretical presentation offers a reaction to the situations mentioned (example: so-called consensual relationships between an assistant and students; events occurring between students outside the school setting, etc.).

Secondly, support for the institutions is planned both to modify its internal procedures but also to be able to deal with the first cases which would require existing internal procedures.

Students, are you looking for legal information?

Different specialized institutions can inform you and support you in external procedures and legal proceedings.

- The Institute for the Equality of Men and Women can inform you about the reporting and complaint procedures: https://apps.digital.belgium.be/forms/show/igvm/complaint/latest?lng=fr

- The police victim assistance services can help you prepare a complaint: https://social.brussels/organization/8660

- Victim support services can give you social and psychological help: https://victimes.cfwb.be/fileadmin/sites/victime/uploads/Documents/Services_d_aide_aux_victimes.pdf

- The victims' reception service can help you and support you during legal proceedings: https://victimes.cfwb.be/index.php?id=6163

For any information or support on internal procedures at the school, we invite you to contact the contact persons below.

In the boxes

Discussion groups and group activities;

Prevention activities for all school stakeholders (students, staff members & managers)

This pilot project aims to be able to report on the situation at the end of a year of experience but also to share practices in terms of student care and support with other higher education institutions. victims of sexist/sexual harassment and/or violence during their studies.

Partner establishments & resource people

The psychologists of the Safesa Cell

Marcella Scimè cellule.safesa@gmail.com - https://www.instagram.com/safesa.bxl/

Any request addressed to them is subject to professional secrecy.

The members of the steering committee

The steering committee meets once a month and addresses the following questions:

monitoring and coordination of activities,

the delimitation of the project intervention framework,

communication around the “services” offered,

the other needs of the stakeholders and avenues for extending the project.

erg

Laurence Rassel - Laurence.rassel@erg.be

Maryline Ledoux - Maryline.ledoux@erg.be

Conservatoire de Bruxelles

Mathieu Richard - mathieu.richard@conservatoire.be

INSAS

Mathieu Richard - mathieu.richard@insas.be

La Cambre

Hélène Perreau - helene.perreau@lacambre.be

Saint Luc Brussels

Cécile Dujardin - c.dujardin@stluc-esa-bxl.org

ARBA

Emilie Carosin - E.Carosin@arba-esa.be

July Fontaine - j.fontaine@arba-esa.be

The 75

Noëlle Costa Fujimoto - noelle.costa@le75.be

Julia Van Weddingen - julia.vanweddingen@le75.be

ESAC

Thaïs César - thais.cesar@esac.be

Brussels social promotion establishments

Carole Mengal - Carole.Mengal@brucity.education FEF

Emila Hoxhaj - emila.hoxhaj@fef.be