Starting Tuesday, April 1, enforcement officers (boa’s) may enforce laws against sexual harassment in public in four additional cities: Almere, Dordrecht, Heerlen, and Tilburg. This enforcement capability stems from a pilot initiated on July 1, 2024; the day the Sexual Offenses Act came into effect. Since that day, enforcement officers have already been able to enforce laws against sexual harassment in public in Arnhem, Utrecht, and Rotterdam.

Enforcement officers are not automatically authorized to enforce laws against sexual harassment in public. The pilot aims to clarify how enforcement by officers, in addition to police enforcement, can contribute to the effective implementation of this criminalization. The pilot will continue for another year. Parallel to the pilot, an evaluation process has started. Based on this and the experiences from the pilot, it will be examined what role enforcement officers can play in enforcing laws against sexual harassment in public. The evaluation process is expected to be completed around the summer of 2026.

Secretary of State Coenradie previously visited the enforcement officers in Utrecht and will later visit Almere.

“The pilot with enforcement officers addressing sexual harassment has already cautiously borne its first fruits: it has not only led to the first prosecutions and convictions, but by actively enforcing, a social norm is also strengthened: we do not accept sexual (street) harassment. The enforcement is an important component of a comprehensive approach to this issue, which also allows for prevention and awareness-raising. I wish the enforcement officers in the four new cities a prompt and successful start.”