Cops, enforcers worried about implementing law against sexual harassment on the street
Police and enforcement officers are doubting the feasibility of enforcing the new law against sexual harassment on the street, which takes effect on July 1. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is also worried, Pointer reported after speaking to the authorities.
The new law prohibits “sexually approaching another person in a manner that is frightening, humiliating, hurtful, or degrading.” It lists several examples, including “calling someone in public a whore, bitch, slut, or horny woman” and “explicit allusions to sexual contact.” The law makes sexual harassment on the street an offense against public order. Victims can file a police report. The police can also act without a report if they witness sexual harassment on the street.
Police union ACP thinks that the new law will result in a flood of reports and charges. The police already have to leave some reports uninvestigated due to a lack of capacity. “I hope that this law does not contribute even more to that problem,” Ramon Meijerink of the union told Pointer. “And that we don’t have to make more choices to the detriment of victims.”
It’s not yet clear whether municipal enforcers will be responsible for enforcing this law - Rotterdam will experiment with this from July 1. Richard Gerrits of the enforcers’ union BOA Vakbond ACP expects “a very big challenge” for enforcement officers. According to him, they’re continuously given more and more tasks. “It is very good that this is being tackled, but enforcers seem to be gradually becoming the catch-all of society. We don’t want that.”
Public prosecutor Judith van Schoonderwoerd told Pointer that the law criminalizes more behavior, which is complicated to prosecute. “The police and OM will assess in each case whether there is sufficient legal and convincing evidence,” she said. “Ultimately, it is a social problem for which criminal law is not the only solution.”
Despite concerns about enforceability, the police are still satisfied that sexual harassment on the street is being tackled. “It is, of course, very nice that there are now frameworks within which enforcement can take place. Because one thing is certain: this is a problem,” Meijerink said.
