I discovered the Bondir-e association after listening to several podcasts on the subject of violence in the kitchen. I loved the idea of this association, which is going to do prevention work in catering colleges to educate young people about what is acceptable in a working environment and what is not.
I would have liked to have received this kind of information during my training, as it would certainly have prevented me from accepting some of the inappropriate behaviour I experienced at the start of my career. Moral harassment, sexual harassment, even rape by my line manager.
The violence I endured and which devastated me, I use it today to raise awareness among young people in the hope that they won't suffer the same treatments. Even if these old ‘habits’ still have a long way to go, the younger generations are increasingly aware that they are not normal in a working environment. And that's good news! It's high time that these toxic practices were consigned to the rubbish bin in favour of healthier practices that respect people. And God knows that this is a profession in desperate need of workers, partly because of the mistreatment that is commonplace in the catering industry and that puts a lot of people off this fine profession.
Despite all the horrific testimonies we receive when we work with schools, I feel that the tables are turning and that younger generations are less inclined to accept being treated badly. This is starting to change things, at last.
And let's not forget something: we're just making food! We're not saving lives! We're ‘just’ in a service industry and that's all.
