In a survey covering the period between February to mid-April of 2021, with a group of 8000 participants, the shocking results point to a national problem.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) conducted the first-time research into street harassment in the Netherlands, and the results came in with a whopping 67% of participating women indicating they were harassed in the past year.
The women in the participating survey were aged between 12 to 25 years old and reported a higher harassment rate (75%) in urban areas such as the streets of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, compared to non-urban municipalities (55%).
Street intimidation was examined in several forms. The first form was whistling or hissing, where half of the female participants received unwanted whistles at least once last year. The second form was calling, which was the second most common form of intimidation and made up 40% of the reported experiences.
The last form, and the most feared of all types, was chasing and it was experienced by a quarter of the women.
Men were also included in the survey, and although less likely to be harassed, one in three men experienced street harassment as well, with teenage boys reporting more incidents than young adult men. 😡
Fear induced
So how did the participants respond or behave when the harassment occurred? According to the survey, 60% of participants ignored what was going on at the time.
Women, however, took different approaches than men in such situations as they were more likely to seek out other people’s company or call someone (37%), express a dismissive or angry gesture (26%), or grab an item to use for self-defense such as keys, deodorant, or pepper spray (18%).
Men were more likely to laugh, make a dismissive gesture, or address the perpetrators (17% to 19%).
Action needed
Although this CBS survey is the first on a national level, similar data were previously reported in a study conducted by the city of Amsterdam, according to RTL Nieuws.
Amsterdam’s study indicated that more than half of the women were harassed in the city streets, a shocking figure that aligns with CBS’ reporting.
“With prevention, we must ensure that there is a generation that no longer finds these kinds of things normal to do,” says Willy van Berlo, an expert on sexual violence at the Rutgers Sexuality Expertise centre.
“The cabinet must also play a role in this with campaigns and information,” he continues.
What do you think of the results of this latest Dutch survey? Did you experience being in this situation? How did you behave? Tell us in the comments below.
Feature Image: Gustavo Fring/Pexels
Since arriving to The Hague in September 2021 from Ireland. I was shocked at the level of street harassment, every single day when I left the house. Living in Dublin for 7 years does not compare to the high level of street harassment here. I am shocked. More awareness needs to be made on this matter. As a 26 year old female, I shouldn’t be afraid to leave the house. I shouldn’t have to carry self defence every day. It is terrible! I am glad that you have written about this, but more needs to be done to protect women in this country! Amy 🙂
thank you for speaking out , it takes some one from the out side to see this arm yourself amy cheers from canada
This survey is very disturbing. Good Dutchmen should take steps to support women and organizations that want to stop is disgusting behavior.