For the first time, a man in Belgium was convicted of sexism and faces a $3,724 fine for breaking a Belgian law that criminalizes sexism in public places. The law was introduced in 2014 and defines sexism as remarks that diminish “someone to his or her sexual dimension” and “express contempt.”
The Belgian man told a female police officer to “shut your mouth, I don’t talk to women, being a police officer is not a job for women.” This was after the female officer stopped the man for a highway violation. The spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office said that “to personally blame a policewoman because of her sex is special,” and due to the high number of witnesses to the incident, this was a good first case to test the 2014 law.
France recently announced that there will be a €300 fine for street harassment against women, following Belgian’s lead.
Media Resources: World Economic Forum 5/7/19
