Man who told police officer her job was ‘not for a woman’ convicted of public sexism in world first
A man in Belgium has been convicted of public sexism after he told a police officer that her job is “not a job for women”.
After being stopped by a police officer for jaywalking, the man decided to insult the police officer who reprimanded him when he was stopped for questioning.
“Shut your mouth, I don’t talk to women. Being a police officer is not a job for women,” said the man when he was arrested, reports The Evening Standard.
As a consequence, the man was ordered to pay a $3,000 (£2,700) fine by a court in Brussels as punishment for the crime.
The bill defines public sexism as an act which is “intended to express contempt”, is one of the first times the law has been used to convict a person in court.
The man was also convicted of slander and threatening a police officer in the hearing.
The sexism law, which first came into action in the country in 2014, was first introduced to address the way women experience sexual intimidation.
Belgium’s catcalling video Femme de la Rue put pressure on the government to introduce the bill after it illustrated how women on the streets of Brussels were burdened by catcalling and wolf whistles.
And just as the 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman video proved, the intimidation, catcalling and harassment women face is a global challenge in Belgium and the world alike.
The prosecutors in the trial said that the “concrete case with many witnesses” was good testing ground to exact the legislation.