In the first case invoking a new law against verbal sexual harassment, a French court has fined a man 300 euros — about $350 — for making lewd and insulting comments to a woman aboard a bus in a Paris suburb.

The panel of judges in the case also sentenced the man to nine months in jail — six months of it suspended — for physically assaulting the woman and the driver of the bus.

The measure outlawing verbal harassment — which can include catcalls and unwanted, sexually aggressive speech — brought into focus the kind of daily insults and lewd remarks that Frenchwomen face. Most used to let them go, but the #MeToo movement and its French version, #Balancetonporc, or “expose your pig,” have encouraged women to go public with their experiences of harassment.

France’s junior minister for gender equality, Marlène Schiappa, who spearheaded the law, applauded the outcome of the first case prosecuted under it. She wrote in a tweet: “Bravo to the bus driver for his quick reaction and to everyone for carrying out the sanctions. Let’s together put an end to sexist and sexual violence.”

The incident occurred in the suburban town of Draveil, about 10 miles south of Paris, when a 21-year old woman got on a bus at rush hour, and soon after, so did a man who appeared to be drunk. It was crowded and he was jammed up against her and slapped her behind.

He said “you have big breasts” and called the young woman a “whore,” said Marie-Celine Lawrysz, vice prosecutor in Evry, where the case went to court. She described the remarks as “degrading.”

“The young woman did not stay passive and went to see the bus driver, who tried to intervene,” Ms. Lawrysz said. The man then hit the bus driver, who called the police and locked the bus doors until they arrived.

Video surveillance caught what happened, Ms. Lawrysz said, and witnesses corroborated the account. Neither the victim nor the man involved have been identified.

In addition to imposing a fine and prison time last week, the judges mandated that the man undergo treatment for alcohol abuse.

Click HERE For The Full Article 

 

 

Bring MySideKick To Your Campus!

Enter Your Email Below.

 

Copyright © 2018-2024 Every Two Minutes, Inc., Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

MySideKick® is a registered trademark of Every Two Minute, Inc. and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Patent Pending.