Dutch court fines man in first use of new law on sexual harassment

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch court fined a man on Wednesday for harassing and intimidating a woman on the streets of Rotterdam in the first use of a new law that came into effect in July.

The law, which aims to tackle sexual harassment in public spaces, includes penalties for unwanted touching and for inappropriate comments or gestures.

The 33-year-old man was fined 100 euros ($110), with an additional 180 euros to pay if he reoffends, based on evidence provided by a specialist undercover team.

Under a pilot project aimed at catching offenders in the act, such teams have been deployed in the cities of Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem.

The court said it was clear the undercover team had seen the man harassing a woman by calling out to her, walking up to her, placing his hands on her hips and holding her.

“Sexually intimidating someone on the streets like that makes people feel unsafe and restricts them from being themselves in public,” the court said.

The use of undercover surveillance in this case had been justifiable, it said.

The law defines intimidation as an “intrusive sexual advance through remarks, gestures, sounds or touching in a way that can be seen to be terrifying, humiliating, hurtful or offensive”.

The text stipulates that such behaviour is illegal online as well as in physical public spaces.

($1 = 0.9040 euros)