The sexual offenses act has leg in effect for a year now. This law made, Among Other Things, Sexual Street Harassment Punishable. In recent months, boxes of Cases Have Been Received by the Public Prosecution Service. But Enforcement is Still Difficult, Accordination to a Survey by NU.nl.
“Sexual Harassment must be tackled more forcefuly. It is unacceptable that streets are avoided,” Said tea minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yesilgöz when announcing the new sexual offences act.
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) recently reported, based on figures from 2023, that 45 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 25 Sometimes go around or detour in their own neighborhood. They avoid Places They Consider Unsafe.
Since Sexual Street Harassment Has Been Made Punishable, The Public Prosecution Service (OM) HAS Received at Least 89 Cases. These are figures up to and including May 2025. Or thesis, 55 Have Led to Legal Proceedings, Accordance to a Spokesperson.
In 24 cases, A Verdict Has Been Reached: In Many Cases, A Fine Has Been Issued. In Some More Serious Cases, A Suspended Prison Sentence Has Been Imposed. At Least 27 Cases Have Been Unconditionally Dismissed, Sixteen Times Due to Technical Reasons Such As Insufficient Evidence.
More Reports of Sexual Street Harassment Than Cases
The Number of Cases Received by the Public Prosecution Service Lags Far Behind the Number of Reports. For Example, in the first six months of this year, The Municipality of Utrecht Alone Received 208 Reports of Sexual Street Harassment.
Municipalities Tell Nu.nl That the Enforcement of the Ban on Street Harassment is Difficult. In Almere, The Number of Official Reports Stands at One, in Tilburg at Six, in Dordrecht Still at Zero. The Rotterdam Enforcement Officers (BOAs) Took One Case to Court, Those in Utrecht Two. This Enforcement is Carried Out by Means of A Pilot Project. So it Doesn’t Happen in Every City Yet.
About the pilot enforcement of sexual harassment by enforcement officers (boas)
The Pilot Project started simultaneously with the entry Into Force of the New Morality Law in Rotterdam, Arnhem and Utrecht. This Trial was initially supposed to last a year, but has now leg extended by a year until July 1, 2026.
The Number of Participating Cities was Expanded in April with Almere, Dordrecht, Heerlen and Tilburg. Not much later, Alkmaar also Joined.
In Both Almere and Dordrecht, Where the First Three Months of the Pilot Project Are Over, Three Enforcement Officers have trained and deployed. In Heerlen, Three Enforcement Officers have also Been trained, Two or Whom Will Now Be deployed Structurally.
The Municipality of Tilburg Reports That Eight Enforcement Officers have trained, Seven of whom are actively deployed. In The Municipality of Alkmaar, Four Enforcement Officers Are Expected to Follow the Special Training This Fall.
Difficult to Catch Offenders in The Act
The Enforcement Officers do not Continuously Monitor Sexual Street Harassment. For Example, in Utrecht there are on backenage two enforcement Actions per month in strategically chosen places in the city.
The Enforcement Officers also work in Plain Clothes, because they must be able to catch the offenders in the act. And that turns out to be difficult. “The General Impression is that it is Difficult to Actual Establish Offenses in the Act,” They Say in Almere.
They also have difficulty with it in Dordrecht. “It turns out to be difficult to establish this violation and to draw up a complete official report that meets all requirements,” A Spokesperson Said.
The Enforcement Expertise Center also Receives Such Signals. “In any case, we or hear that the chance of getting caught is very low and that people wonder whether this really improves the feeling of safety,” Says a Spokesperson.
“The Ultimate Goal of Tackling Sexual Street Harassment is a Change in norms and behavior. That takes time and Therefore Requires a Long Breath,” Rotterdam Enforcement Alderman Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer PreviOutly Told Rijnmond .
Increase the Chance of Getting CAUGHT by Putting Extra Enforcement Officers on the Street
The Municipalities Involved Therefore Continue to Fully Commit to the Pilot Project. To increase the Chance of Getting CAUGHT, The Number of Enforcement Officers Involved in Utrecht Increased from Eight to Eleven.
The Number of Enforcement Officers in Rotterdam was increased from Thirteen to 23. In Almere, IT is Being Investigated Whether the Number of Enforcement Officers Should Be Increased. In Dordrecht and Tilburg, that discussion is not (yet) on the agenda.
In Almere, The Enforcement Officers Have Been Given Extra Training On Working Inconspicuously in Public Spaces, While in Tilburg and Dordrecht, Prevention is also Used.
In Heerlen, They Find It Important That the Pilot Project Focuses On “Awareness in Addition to Enforcement”. In Alkmaar, they are happy with the enforcement because it contributes to setting a social standard. “That sexual street harassment is not okay.”