Calls for Sanctions for Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment

A Committee of the European Parliament has called for help for victims of sexual harassment to report cases and the imposition of sanctions against perpetrators. 

The call from the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee comes in the wake of the Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo campaign, which helped to redraw the boundaries of what constitutes sexual harassment and acceptable behaviour.

Deploring the fact that laws and the definitions in this area vary across member states, they reiterate their call on the EU Commission to propose a Directive against all forms of violence against women, including updated common definitions and legal standards that treat it as a crime.

The draft report underlines the urgent need for member states, local authorities and trade unions to understand the barriers that women face in reporting cases of sexual harassment in the workplace and to offer them full support to report these cases safely, without fear of possible consequences.

It also calls on member states to encourage workplace policies based on prevention, confidential procedures to deal with complaints, and tough and dissuasive sanctions for perpetrators.

“The #MeToo movement has shown the world how big and widespread the phenomenon of sexual harassment and mobbing is, including in public and work spaces,” commented EP rapporteur Pina Picierno (S&D, IT). “With this report we ask the EU Commission to act at European level, starting by proposing a clear legal definition of what sexual harassment is, stressing educational strategies and tackling the dramatic phenomenon of online harassment. Failing to do so would mean ’tolerating’ mobbing and harassment and leaving women even more alone.”

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