One in three interns a victim
A survey by the French student organization Balance ton stage, whose report was published on 21 September 2026, found that one in three students surveyed experienced VSS — sexual and sexist misconduct at work — during an internship or work-study placement (a form of work-based learning that alternates between school and work). Over 4,400 students in France took part in the study. The fully anonymous questionnaire ran in early 2026 and was open to both victims and witnesses of VSS. Based on the findings, the organization, after nine months of work, made 21 recommendations to educational institutions and host organizations.
Why interns are especially vulnerable
Researchers who examined French interns specifically in the journal Organization in 2025 point to a series of mutually reinforcing vulnerabilities. Interns are typically young and inexperienced, have not yet built a professional network, and have limited means to resist unwanted behavior. At the same time, they depend on both their educational institution — for the successful completion of their studies — and the host organization. According to these researchers, this dual dependency, combined with a temporary and often low-paid position, limits their ability to report misconduct. They describe an accumulation of vulnerability factors — age, dependent status and precarious employment status — that reinforce one another. Existing policies against misconduct often prove, in practice, insufficiently tailored to this temporary, dependent position, even though both educational institutions and employers are legally required to address it.
Recommendations for institutions and organizations
The report’s 21 recommendations are aimed at both educational institutions and host organizations that receive interns and work-study students. The report seeks to map the scale of the problem, expose the underlying mechanisms, and better protect students during their first work experiences. For HSE professionals, including outside France, the lesson is that prevention policy against misconduct must specifically account for temporary and dependent working relationships, such as those of interns and trainees, and not only those of permanent staff.
Context
That interns and other temporary workers form a vulnerable group is also recognized internationally. The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work, adopted in 2019 and in force since 2021, protects not only workers regardless of their contractual status but also explicitly “persons in training, including interns and apprentices” (Article 2, paragraph 1). The convention thereby expressly extends protection to groups beyond permanent staff, such as interns, volunteers, jobseekers and job applicants.
Source: VSS au travail : stagiaires et alternantes, un public vulnérable, 28-09-2026
Additionally consulted: Balance ton stage — rapport VSS en stage et alternance, Internships and sexual harassment: How the status of interns shapes vulnerability, ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 at a glance
