Leiden starts campaign to address recent rash of street sex assaults

The municipality of Leiden is working closely with the police to find the perpetrator or perpetrators of a recent series of sexual assaults in the city, mayor Peter van der Velden told NOS Radio 1 Journaal. The city is also launching a campaign called “Are you okay?” to encourage locals to check in on each other while out and about.

According to Van der Velden, a problem in tackling this type of crime is that people often don’t report when someone sexually harasses them. Reports provide a better picture of what’s going on. If someone harasses you, tell the police. If you notice someone else being harassed, check in with them to see if they need help and encourage them to go to the police, the mayor said.

“Last week, I also saw figures from the Rugters foundation, which also shocked me,” Van der Velden told the broadcaster. “That two-thirds of girls up to 25 are often unwantedly harassed and one-third of boys up to 25.” Those are national figures, he said, but they shocked him to his core. “That means that there is absolutely more to do in our fight against transgressive behavior.”

On Monday, the police said that one woman had been raped and several others sexually assaulted in Leiden at the end of February. The attacks all happened in the evening and overnight hours. The victims are young women, including several students. The police believe they’re dealing with multiple perpetrators.

Elianne Wijnands, a member of the local Studenten voor Leiden political party, told NOS that one of the worst things is that several of the attacks, including the rape, happened on Breestraat - a busy, well-lit street in the heart of the city. Students are afraid, she said.

Student associations also notice that students are worried about the attacks, a spokesperson for the Plaatselijke Kamer van Verenigingen (PKvV), which covers 24 student associations, said to the broadcaster. The student associations in Leiden have reached out to their members and warned them to be extra alert. Don’t walk home alone, and make sure you can get home safely when you go out.

“But actually, you shouldn’t have to do that. Actually, you should be able to walk on the street safely,” the spokesperson said. She called it a real shame that it is once again up to young women to take extra measures to keep themselves safe.

The police deployed extra officers to patrol Leiden’s streets in civilian clothes and in uniform. The municipality is also taking extra measures, the mayor said.

Over four years ago, a similar string of attacks angered women after weeks went by without an arrest. Women were asked to make use of a buddy system and not to walk the streets alone. Police arrested Jasin A. for groping a woman on October 26, 2019, and violently penetrating two victims with his fingers in separate incidents in November and December.

He denied the severity of the allegations and maintained his innocence regarding assault charges, but DNA evidence found on the victims' underpants and a photo of a victim on his phone led to a conviction a year after the crimes. He was sentenced to four years in prison.