It's a first in Paris! A little white metal mailbox will soon be installed in the reception hall of the école Blanche in the 9th arrondissement, welcoming the voices of children who have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. This initiative was created by the association Les Papillons, which has already set up more than 200 mailboxes in most metropolitan departments.
Merci @dburkli d'avoir permis l'installation de la première boîte aux lettres Papillons à Paris au sein de l'école Blanche dans le 9ème arrondissement. La voie est désormais ouverte pour que tous les écoliers de Paris puissent nous écrire ce qu'ils ne peuvent pas vous dire... pic.twitter.com/tAEtceyOjn
— Laurent Boyet (@assopapillons) January 31, 2025
One child is a victim of rape every 3 minutes
« If you can't say it, write it » ; this is the slogan on the Butterfly boxes. Although decorated with some childlike images, they aim to look ordinary so as not to intimidate: each child should see them as allies in reporting the violence they may have experienced, especially since one child is a victim of incest, rape, or sexual assault every 3 minutes according to government statistics.
A dispenser of blank words is available for children to slip in a message, and short instructions are written on a poster next to the box to guide them. After identifying the mistreatment they have suffered, they are invited to write their letter indicating... their name, first name, school, sports club, etc. The texts can be of all kinds : words to express discomfort, or drawings to illustrate the situation. The letter can then be slipped into the box in complete confidentiality.
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An Intermediary with Justice
Once collected, these words are gathered at the association’s headquarters and then read by psychologists who can, if necessary, notify the authorities. Last year, they helped collect nearly 1,000 messages from children, of which 20 led to reports to the justice system, like in the case of Lily, the "flagbearer " of the association, as described by Laurent Boyet, the founder of Les Papillons, in an interview with Elle last September. The 10-and-a-half-year-old girl was able to, he explains, break the silence and report the sexual abuse by her paternal grandfather thanks to the mailbox set up in her school. Following a trial at the criminal court in Ain, in Bourg-en-Bresse, he received a 12-year prison sentence.
Lily et l’effet Papillons bravo @LaurentBoyet Le témoignage de cette fillette de 10 ans,déposé dans une boîte à lettres de son école,a révélé les crimes incestueux . jugement en septembre ce dossier,l’un des premiers issus de l’initiative de l’association les Papillons pic.twitter.com/37FrQOREww
— lazimigilles (@lazimigilles) April 27, 2024
Association Les Papillons
Tel. : 04 68 81 96 47
Email : contact@associationlespapillons.org
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