National follow-up for Utrecht lessons against street harassment

The teaching program against street harassment developed in Utrecht is being implemented nationwide. Lessons for primary and secondary schools are now available throughout the country. "Discussing (unwanted) behavior and learning other ways of behaving is crucial," says Mayor Sharon Dijksma. According to her, street harassment, such as being mobbed, unwanted touching, and sexual remarks, is still a "persistent problem".

"Raising awareness is an important weapon to counteract this. Both for the perpetrators and bystanders as well as for the victims. That's why it's very good that schools are paying a lot of attention to this issue," the mayor said. She is pleased that the lessons are being rolled out nationwide.

Utrecht is implementing an action plan against street harassment, which includes the teaching module. Men were also tracked for the module, as an experiment, so to speak, to sensitize them to assaultive behavior. In addition, catering staff were trained in how to behave correctly in unpleasant situations.

Utrecht is one of the frontrunners when it comes to reports of transgressive sexual behavior on the street. But this is not only a problem there. A study by CBS in 2021 shows that in all four major cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht), an average of 77% of young women say they have been harassed on the street.