Near Mulhouse, the suicide of a schoolgirl shows the extent of the phenomenon of harassment at school and on social networks. Parents, teachers and the Ministry of Education are dismayed.
We had an excellent upbringing,” says Rayan. A lot of love, a lot of tolerance, also a lot of culture. My mother didn’t have the opportunity to study, but she raised all of us. At school, it’s a different story. One night in March 2021, Dinah was rummaging in the medicine cabinet and passed out. First suicide attempt. Hospitalisation. When she came back, it was worse. The school called in a bullying awareness team but nothing was done, on the contrary.
“It got worse and worse,” says Samira. Dinah receives threatening letters. “Don’t worry, you will die soon”. The support from the authorities is far from sufficient. “Towards the end of her school days, the school even called and said that maybe my sister was overreacting. Even the school and the people working there were not on her side. Every time she crossed the threshold of the school, she was alone against everyone,” Rayan laments.
The canteen, where she sits alone, is a veritable torture from hell. “She was at the end of her tether,” says her mother. Convinced that the whole world is laughing at her, even the school staff, she regularly locks herself in the toilets and calls her mother crying. Homophobic insults are combined with racist insults:”Dirty lesbian”, “Dirty mongrel”, “How can you be Muslim and gay? You have no respect for religion”. Has she come to the gym wearing a skimpy bra? “Dirty whore. Whatever she does, whatever she says, she is wrong. She becomes a burden, a nuisance not to be seen with.
“Sometimes friends would come over and talk to her at home. Dinah was the first to tell them, “We can’t be seen together. They will ruin your lives.” Samira’s worry is growing. She considers homeschooling with the Cned (National Centre for Distance Education). Dinah is reluctant. “She wanted to go out, meet people, didn’t want to be a victim. L’Obs