What do Europeans consider sexual harassment?

Does a sex joke constitute sexual assault? Or only if they grab your bottom? A survey shows that tolerance levels vary across Europe. EU countries deal differently with sexual harassment, and Germany often lags behind.

Sexual harassment comes in many forms. It could be your boss giving you an unsolicited neck massage. Or a slap on a woman’s bottom, or an arm around her waist. If a man coerces his female colleague to watch porn, some deem that a clear instance of sexual harassment. But what about a (possibly well-intended) compliment on her tight-fitting dress?

The Weinstein affair has brought to light countless other sordid incidents, opening people's eyes to how many men routinely behave in an unacceptable way towards women. The hashtag #MeToo is indicative of the number of women all over the world who have experienced sexual harassment. However, critics point out that it is not always clear what exactly those affected are referring to.

How sexual harassment is punished in Europe:

The Istanbul Convention of 2011, a Council of Europe convention against violence against women, refers explicitly to sexual harassment. According to Article 40 of the Convention, stating that "any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person (…) is subject to criminal or other legal sanction."

Many experts see this as a groundbreaking set of rules — but in a great many countries they are still not being applied.
In Germany, critics complain that for a very long time sexual harassment was downplayed and dismissed as "groping." It took the coordinated sexual assault of dozens of women in Cologne on New Year’s Eve 2015 to get the debate moving. Only since the 2016 reform of the German law governing sexual offenses has sexual harassment has been categorized as a crime. Anyone who physically touches and thereby harasses another person in a sexual manner must now reckon with a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine.

That's because the understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment differs widely, among both men and women. What some consider flattering may be seen by others as overstepping the mark. This was highlighted in a recent survey conducted in seven different European countries. The polling institute YouGov surveyed women and men in Germany, Britain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The 8,500 respondents were asked to evaluate different situations: for example, a man whistling at a woman, making bodily contact with her while dancing at a party, or exposing his genitals to her.

Like Denmark, Italy, Serbia and others, France ratified the Istanbul Convention back in 2011. In Germany, this only happened in the summer of 2017.
However, according to EU rights expert Goodey, laws alone are insufficient. "You need to also create an environment where people feel they can report incidences of sexual harassment," she says. Ultimately, she says, this is a topic that affects the whole of society, and it’s vital that men, too, speak out against sexual harassment.