Brussels minister launches campaign against sexual intimidation

Bianca Debaets, minister of for equal opportunities in the Brussels-Capital Region, has launched a new campaign against sexual intimidation. MeldGeweld (Report Violence) calls on witnesses of intimidation against women and the LGBT community to report what they have seen.

The launch of the campaign was accompanied by people dressed as Scrabble tiles spelling out the kind of insults the campaign hopes to tackle – such as pedo, slut and whore. Because another aspect of the campaign is to present the shock effect of such intimidation to people who may never have had to undergo it.

“Everyone in Brussels who takes violence against women and gays seriously needs to make their voice heard,” Debaets said. “Often if one person speaks up, others follow. That’s how we reach a sustainable change of mentality, and put sexist violence out of action.”

According to the campaign’s research, 30% of women in Brussels have been the victim of violence, and 60% have suffered sexual intimidation. Among the LGBT community, 90% have been the victim of physical or verbal abuse.

Image courtesy MeldGeweld