Info*
Street harassment is a problem that occurs worldwide. Women, girls and also the LGBT+ community are regularly intimidated on the street. For example, women are catcalled, receive sexually explicit remarks or are chased in the street. Street harassment is not just limited to the streets and nightlife. Shopping malls, supermarkets and other public places are also part of street harassment. For example, you can be stared at during a walk in the park or hear an inappropriate comment while cycling.
Non-verbal examples of street intimidation are: whistling, hissing, spitting, being chased by a vehicle, being met outside the bar/club, being chased on foot, someone walking along uninvited and being stared at (body scans).
Verbal examples of street harassment include: being verbally abused or insulted (after being rejected), being belittled by terms such as “females,” offering money for sexual acts, persistent comments such as, “Can I have your number?”; “I’m cuter than your friend”; “Where are you going; Can I join you?”; “Don’t you miss some cock”; “Do you want a threesome?” (especially when it comes to a lesbian/bisexual woman or couples).
Examples of physical street harassment are being touched inappropriately. Think of being pinched in the butt while going out, being pushed against a wall or being pulled into an alley by men. Please note, these examples often come close to assault, so always report such incidents to the police.
You can make a report entirely anonymously. In the report form, you can indicate whether or not you want to leave your details. If you do, we may send you additional information about street harassment. If you do not do this, the information you provide to us about your report cannot be traced back to you in any way. Regardless of whether you choose to leave your data or not, we will always treat your information confidentially. You can read more about this in our privacy policy.
Reporting does not lead to prosecution of the perpetrator, but it does help clarify the problem. Your report of street harassment helps the city to understand better what, when and where street harassment is most common.
By reporting your incident, you are helping us collect valuable input that Breda’s municipality can use to evoke change and improve safety measures. The municipality is tightly connected to this project and open to working with our analyses and reports every quarter.
For example, we have been able to mark places in Breda as hotspots for street intimidation so that extra enforcement can be sent there. The number of our reports in the Valkenburg Park was one of the decisive factors for extending camera surveillance. Also, we are talking with important stakeholders – including the NS – to improve safety at and around the station.
The platform is for everyone who has experienced or has seen sexual harassment on the street. You can also report as a bystander.
The majority of women experience street harassment. Women who are not heterosexual are usually more likely to be victims of sexual harassment. This has everything to do with the stereotypical ideas and the power imbalance between men and women. Queer men, transgender people, non-binaries and drag performers also suffer from these forms of harassment. Because the intimidation towards these groups has the same cause, we need to tackle this integrally. So they too can report incidents on this platform.
We strive for a city where everyone can walk on the street with a safe and pleasant feeling. Whether you are wearing a skirt or holding hands with your partner, it shouldn’t make any difference.
Sexual harassment or sexual assault is a terrible thing to experience. Please know that you are not alone in this. Help is available for you if you need help processing what happened.
Would you like to talk to someone about what happened? Then call victim support 0900-0101 (Monday to Friday between 08.00 and 20.00 and Saturday between 10.00 and 17.00).
The Sexual Violence Centre is also available for you. They are there for anyone who has recently experienced sexual violence. You can contact them securely and anonymously. The centre is available 24 hours a day by telephone (0800-0188), or you can chat with them via the website. Tip: put CSG’s phone number in your phone. This way, you can contact yourself or someone else directly if you are confronted with sexual violence.
Have you or someone you know experienced (sexual) violence at home? Safe Home is there for advice and support. You can come here for yourself, but also if you are concerned about someone else’s safety. Safe Home can be reached 24 hours a day on telephone number 0800-2000. You can also chat with them via the website between 09:00 and 22:00.
The police are there for you if you experience intimidation or discrimination. However, to date, many forms of harassment are still not punishable. Municipalities that tried to enforce street harassment in the past were told that this violates freedom of expression. The Court of Appeal in The Hague determined this.
What ís punishable is physical violence, assault and rape. Are you unsure whether the incident you experienced falls under physical violence, assault or rape? Be sure to report it to the police or put it in the comment section of your report, and we will contact you.
Do you know the perpetrator, or do you happen to know who it is about? Report this to the police regardless of the form of street intimidation. The police may not be able to take immediate action on this, but the perpetrator will get a note on their name.
These kinds of incidents are terrible to experience. Please know that you are not alone in this. Help is available for you! Read more about this under “Can I talk to someone?”.
Breda Police: 0900-8844 or via WhatsApp 06 – 12 20 70 06 – Claudius Prinsenlaan 14
4811 DK Breda
The platform was created by BO Diversity on behalf of the municipality of Breda. BO is an organisation that sees prejudice in today’s society as a threat to marginalised groups. BO, therefore, contributes to creating awareness so that prejudices with negative consequences will disappear. The foundation informs people about diversity and increases acceptance in our society. This is achieved through events, campaigns and training that focus on the beauty of your own identity. Go to the BO website here.
A hotline like this also exists in Rotterdam, Almere and Arnhem. BO Diversity would like to extend the platform to several cities. Street intimidation is a problem in every village and city. The foundation wants to prevent people from ending up on the platform and not being able to tell their stories. If you are intimidated outside Breda, you can also your incident. BO Diversity cannot analyse this as accurately as the incidents that take place in Breda but will report this to the relevant municipality.
If other municipalities are interested in the platform, they can contact us by sending an email to info@intimideermijniet.nl.
Would you like to contact us? This can be done by sending an email to info@intimideermijniet.nl.
You can contact us if;
– You would like to share your story to use for activation purposes
– You have a question about how the platform works
– You have a complaint about the platform
– You work at another municipality and would like to implement this there
