Belgian Man Convicted of ‘Sexism in the Public Space,’ a First
- 6 years ago
Belgian Man Convicted of ‘Sexism in the Public Space,’ a First
Sexism, according to the law, is defined as "every gesture or deed"
that is "clearly meant to express contempt of a person based on sex," or considers a person inferior based on sex, or reduces a person solely to a sexual dimension, and which "gravely affects the dignity of that person as a result." Violation of the law can lead to a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to €10,000.
Mr. Blondeau said that The case was easy to prosecute,
"Shut your mouth, I don’t talk to women, being a police officer is not a job for women," the man told the female
police officer during the arrest, according to Gilles Blondeau, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office.
By MILAN SCHREUERMARCH 6, 2018
BRUSSELS — For the first time, a Belgian criminal court has convicted a man of "sexism in the public space,"
for verbally abusing a female police officer who tried to question him after he was seen jaywalking.
The Belgian Parliament passed the law after a public outcry over a documentary called "Femme de la rue,"
or "Woman of the Street," which exposed the abuse that women faced on a daily basis in Brussels.
On June 6, 2016, a police officer on a routine patrol saw the defendant, who was then 23, cross a street
against a traffic light in Zaventem, a town outside Brussels, according to court documents.
The verdict was the first conviction under a Belgian law criminalizing sexism in a public place.
Sexism, according to the law, is defined as "every gesture or deed"
that is "clearly meant to express contempt of a person based on sex," or considers a person inferior based on sex, or reduces a person solely to a sexual dimension, and which "gravely affects the dignity of that person as a result." Violation of the law can lead to a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to €10,000.
Mr. Blondeau said that The case was easy to prosecute,
"Shut your mouth, I don’t talk to women, being a police officer is not a job for women," the man told the female
police officer during the arrest, according to Gilles Blondeau, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office.
By MILAN SCHREUERMARCH 6, 2018
BRUSSELS — For the first time, a Belgian criminal court has convicted a man of "sexism in the public space,"
for verbally abusing a female police officer who tried to question him after he was seen jaywalking.
The Belgian Parliament passed the law after a public outcry over a documentary called "Femme de la rue,"
or "Woman of the Street," which exposed the abuse that women faced on a daily basis in Brussels.
On June 6, 2016, a police officer on a routine patrol saw the defendant, who was then 23, cross a street
against a traffic light in Zaventem, a town outside Brussels, according to court documents.
The verdict was the first conviction under a Belgian law criminalizing sexism in a public place.