Only 6 fines in two years since ban on catcalling, sexually harassing women on street

An experiment in seven municipalities to actively enforce the ban on catcalling and sexually harassing women on the street has proven to be a failure. In two years, the experiment has resulted in only six fines, research by AD revealed. Local politicians feel the law leaves too much room for the perpetrators.

The Netherlands criminalized sexual harassment on the street on July 1, 2024, allowing the police to take action against perpetrators. Additionally, a pilot project has been running for two years in seven municipalities in which specially trained enforcement officers are authorized to draw up official reports against perpetrators. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) then assesses whether this leads to a criminal case, carrying a maximum penalty of 3 months in prison or a fine of up to €10,300.

So far, reports by municipal enforcement officers have only resulted in six fines. Two offenders were fined in Utrecht, and a third served two days in prison because he couldn’t pay the fine. One man was fined in Arnhem, though eight official reports are still awaiting processing by the OM or a judge. In Rotterdam, enforcement officers drew up four official reports, all against the same man. He received a fine of €280, of which €180 was conditionally suspended.

Almere, Dordrecht, Heerlen, and Tilburg joined the trial a year later. In Almere, one person was fined last year. No fines have been issued in Tilburg and Heerlen, though Tilburg has seven official reports awaiting processing at the OM. In Dordrecht, a man sexually harassed an enforcement officer. That case is still with the police.

Municipalities acknowledge that the experiment is not having the desired effect. “One case with four official reports is not much,” Rotterdam alderman Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer told AD. He and the other participating municipalities think that issuing fines is too complicated. Enforcers can only take action if the harassment is “intrusive, frightening, and intimidating” as well as sexually charged.

“Special enforcement officers must witness sexual street harassment three times before they are allowed to write an official report,” said Lansink-Bastemeijer. “If it stops at two observations, it is still harassment, only we cannot punish that.” He continued: “In my view, the law still gives too much leeway to the perpetrators, and I would prefer to give leeway to the victims, so that we can punish more quickly and, above all, with a lower threshold.”

Despite the lack of results, the municipalities want to continue with the trial. “With this, we are sending a clear signal,” a spokesperson for the municipality of Utrecht told the newspaper. “There is no room for this behavior here. We will never accept this.”

“Enforcing the law on sexual harassment does not solve the problem,” said the municipality of Heerlen. “But it is good to use it when necessary.”