Combating discrimination

and sexual and sexist violence

One of the school's ambitions is to step up efforts to combat discrimination and sexual and sexist violence. This commitment to eradicating sexual and sexist violence prompted the introduction, in early October 2020, of an ambitious scheme aimed at raising awareness of these issues and training the entire emlyon community, in particular the students and future decision makers.

This initiative, which is being conducted by the SER department in collaboration with all the school's stakeholders, aims to equip each and every person to guide and support students and staff members confronted with situations of this nature

Helpful links:

The scheme has been rolled out with the help of experts in the subject (Safe Campus and L'égalité à la page) and consists of a number of backbone initiatives:

  • Formalize a protocol for reporting issues and providing support, specific to emlyon business school, that includes mobilizing a network of internal contacts (trusted people to whom the students or staff members concerned will be able to turn);
  • Launch an online reporting platform, called "speakup", which anyone concerned can use to report instances of discrimination or sexist or sexual violence. The platform is open to the school's staff and to emlyon's French and international students;
  • Organize presentations and awareness-raising initiatives for the entire team of management and academic staff;
  • Training modules for the staff members closest to students, and those at the school's top management levels. For example, program directors will be given 1½ days training so they can acquire the psychological and legal skills that will enable to know how to respond to a case of violence and guide and support those concerned.
  • Support from the school's health and social services team, who will listen to, counsel and support the victims or witnesses. The Human Resources Department and the Legal Department will also be involved in guiding and supporting anyone who needs to know the different courses of legal action available or the procedure for filing a complaint.
  • Training modules and awareness-raising campaigns for students have been organized, and in particular for association committee members, in partnership with Handsaway.
Bénédicte Bost I SER Director at emlyon business school

Through this ambitious scheme, we want, first of all, to more effectively help and support anyone confronted with this sort of situation. We want to raise awareness among the future managers, leaders and company heads of tomorrow, and get them to play an active part in combating sexual and sexist violence in their environment

Isabelle Huault I Executive President and Dean of emlyon business school

It is emlyon business school's mission to promote openness and mutual respect. We must make emlyon, and higher-education establishments generally, places for training and action to combat discrimination and sexual and sexist violence, which are real plagues for society. They must be vigorously denounced and resolutely fought, and that is what we are doing with this scheme. I salute this fine and necessary initiative led by the Social and Environmental Responsibility Department. And I would like to thank all of the staff members who have worked on this subject, together with all of the students who have been involved in this process

emlyon steps up its commitment to fighting sexism by joining

the #StOpE initiative in December 2020

The school has joined the 114 members of this collective, initiated by Accor, EY and L'Oréal, which denounces so-called "ordinary" sexism in the workplace, with the support of Elisabeth Moreno, Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities.

An initiative conducted in collaboration with the school's students, both female and male

The Collectif Olympe and the Corporation Council have played a significant role in this large-scale project. They have planned and organized events on these themes to pursue the project since January, including the following:

  • All of the school's associations have received training, and the school's students received awareness training as part of the duty of care week;
  • A joint effort has been made to roll out the student awareness-raising scheme on the campuses outside France;
  • The Charter of the BNEM (National Bureau of Management Schools) has been adapted to emlyon for signature by all students;
  • Additional training modules focused on the world of work have been produced with #balancetonstage;
  • A training course on sexism in the street through the "standup" action initiated by L'Oréal Paris.

Reporting system for discrimination, sexual & gender-based violence in emlyon

REPORTING I a 24/7 online platform

If you are faced with harassment, or you have been subjected to sexual, sexist, homophobic, or racial violence, or any other type, or you know of such situation a student may be a victim of, or a colleague, you can report it on the dedicated platform..

speakup.emlyon.com, hosted on external servers to ensure maximum confidentiality, is a report platform opened 24/7 to the School's personnel but also to French and international students and participants.

Reporting discrimination of SSV can be done anonymously.

SUPPORTING I a reference unit for staff members only

Made of Discrimination and SSV reference persons from our School, in this unit you will be heard and supported.

Its mission:

  • Welcoming and listening to the persons who may have been exposed directly or indirectly to discrimination, sexism, sexual harassment or assaults, in compliance with strict confidentiality.
  • Guiding the victim through the reporting of the facts on the dedicated platform where necessary.
  • Offering protection and putting into place support measures adapted to the situation
  • Reporting the facts to the disciplinary bodies

  • Raising awareness in the student community

  • Pôle Santé et Bien-être : Thierry BUSSIERE (médecin de prévention) & Anouk CHAUMETIN (infirmière) & Merryl MARTINEZ (psychologue) & Maxence Rogue (référent handicap et inclusion)

  • The ESE team : Vanille BARBIER (Responsable ESE) & Léna KUNTZ (chargée mission reporting) &
  • The legal team : Claire BARRAULT (responsable juridique) & Cheryl HOUNKPEVI (juriste) & Pierre-Louis BOUCHE (chargé de conformité)

Your first contact: Pôle Santé et Bien-être team

psychologue@em-lyon.com

RAISING AWARENESS & TRAINING I A multi-community collaboration

For students, emlyon is working in close collaboration with a student steering committee composed of the Student Corporation Council, and the #balancetonstage team whom all have been genuinely involved as actors of this major project, and with whom we shall conceive and deploy training modules and raising awareness campaigns.

TAKING ACTIONS I An actively engaged School

Where necessary, the School undertakes to instruct and sanction behaviors deemed non-compliant with internal rules and regulation, with ethics, with the principle of responsibility or respect of individuals.

  • The School will carry out an internal investigation for all the reports issued on the platform, and may opt for different measures (mediation, protective order, disciplinary sanctions such as warnings, reprimands, temporary or permanent exclusion, employment termination etc.).
  • We are required to report any crime we are made aware of to the public prosecutor.

BEING INFORMED I SSV, what is this all about?

Definitions

Sexist acts
Article L. 1142-2-1 of the labor code is therefore worded: "No one should be subject to sexist acts, defined as any act associated with the sex of a person, with the aim or effect of violating their dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment".

Sexist insults
The Law on the Freedom of Press of July 29th, 1881 - Article R625.8.1 of the Criminal Code: A sexist insult consists in subjecting a person to sexually oriented or sexist comments which may be prejudicial to the said person. Sexist insults may be public or private.

Sexual harassment = misdemeanor
The Article 222-33 of the French Criminal Code defines sexual harassment as “the act of repeatedly subjecting a person to unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when such conduct either compromises the victim's dignity through demeaning or humiliating words or actions, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for the victim.”

Sexual assault = misdemeanor
The Article 222-22 of the French Criminal Code defines sexual assault as any “non-penetrative sexual assault committed on a victim with violence, coercion, threats (physical or moral) or surprise.”

Rape = crime
The Article 222-23 of the French Criminal Code defines rape as any “act of sexual penetration of any kind, committed on a victim with violence, coercion, threats or surprise. The perpetrator of rape risks 15 years' imprisonment.