News item | 31-03-2025 | 16:00
From Tuesday 1 April, BOAs can maintain in four extra cities on sexual harassment in public: Almere, Dordrecht, Heerlen and Tilburg. The fact that BOAs can maintain this is the result of a pilot that started on July 1, 2024; The day on which the Sexual Crimes Act entered into force. Since that day, Boas have been able to maintain sexual harassment in public in Arnhem, Utrecht and Rotterdam.
Boas are not automatically authorized to maintain sexual harassment in public. The pilot must provide insight into how the enforcement by Boas, in addition to the enforcement by the police, can contribute to the effective enforcement of this criminalization. The pilot runs another year. An evaluation process has started parallel to the pilot. On the basis of this and the experiences in the context of the pilot, it is considered what role Boas can play in maintaining sexual harassment in public. The evaluation process is expected to be completed around the summer of 2026.
State Secretary Coenradie previously visited the BOAs in Utrecht and later visits Almere.
“The pilot with boas that maintain sexual harassment has already caused its first fruits: it has not only led to the first persecutions and condemnations, but by actively maintaining it, a social norm is also strengthened: sexual (street) intimidation we do not accept. The enforcement is an important final piece of this problem of this problem, which is also a conscious approach to this problem. BOAs in the four new cities are an energetic and successful start. ”