In Apeldoorn, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing or who you are. If a person or a group approaches you in an unpleasant way, making you feel anxious or unsafe, that’s what we call street harassment.
Examples:
- After-sips
- call out
- make sexual or offensive comments
- chase
- corner
- unwanted touching, groping
- stare after
Does that mean you’re not allowed to say anything to anyone anymore? Of course you are. We’re talking about harassment here. Not about flirting, offering someone a beer, letting them go first through the door or paying a compliment on their outfit. You can still do all those things.
What can you do about this?
You don’t ask to be harassed, so street harassment is not your fault. Share your story with those around you, with the police or with the local council. Together we are stronger, and we can get a better picture of where and when street harassment occurs in our local area.
If you see someone being harassed, there are various ways you can help them.
- Have your say.
- Ask the victim if they’re all right.
- Pretend you know the victim and create a distraction.
- Ask someone in a position of authority to intervene. Such as a security guard, a special investigating officer or the police.
- Try to document the situation. You can do this by taking a photo or a video. But don’t put yourself in danger. It also helps if you can provide a clear description of the time, place, physical characteristics or a vehicle registration number.
- As a bystander, you can also report street harassment (anonymously). This helps us gain a better understanding of where, when and in what ways street harassment occurs in our city.
Is there an immediate danger, such as a fight or an assault? If so, call 112 straight away for help and report the incident to the police later.
Apeldoorn says ‘stop’ to street harassment