Utrecht takes harsher stance against sexual harassment on the street

The municipality of Utrecht is taking a harsher stance against sexual harassment on the street - “a deeply rooted social problem” - in the coming years. Street harassment includes catcalling and whistling. Aggressive language or annoying following are also part of this.

According to mayor Sharon Dijksma, it is imperative that boys and men become aware that this is not normal behavior. “To really change the social norm in the long term, it is important to set clear norms and boundaries,” she said.

The city will hold an information campaign. The municipality will also open a reporting system next month on which victims can register incidents. All of this is part of the Street Harassment Action Plan 2022-2026, which the office of the mayor and aldermen presented on Wednesday.

“Based on these measures, the municipality can take targeted actions at locations where street harassment (relatively often) occurs. For example, by redesigning the public space, increasing the street lighting, and using enforcement and youth work in a more targeted way,” the mayor said.

The municipality strongly supports making sexual harassment on the street a criminal offense. Enforcement of this is essential, the mayor said. “We are therefore pleased that the Minister of Justice and Security criminalizes sexual harassment in public in her new bill. We also see a role for our enforcement offices in combatting harassment on the street.”