Man jailed for insulting woman under France's new anti-harassment law

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A Frenchman was fined and jailed for slapping and insulting a woman on a bus, the first conviction under a new law that punishes sexual harassment in public.

The prosecutor's office in the south Paris suburb of Evry said that the incident occurred last Wednesday when the 30-year-old man, visibly drunk, made lewd remarks to a 21-year-old woman, slapping her bottom and calling her a "whore," before an argument broke out with the bus driver, who locked the doors until the police arrived.

The man was fined 300 euros (350 US dollars) for the offensive comments on Friday under the anti-harassment law passed last month.

He was also sentenced to three months in jail for the slap, which was considered an act of physical aggression.

Marie Laguerre, a 22-year-old student, was hit by a man outside a cafe in Paris after responding to his harassing comments, July 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

French women have increasingly been speaking up about sexual assault and harassment in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

"This is the first conviction for sexist insults in the country," a justice ministry spokesperson said.

The new law also allows for on-the-spot fines for behavior including comments on a woman's looks or clothing, catcalling, intrusive questions, unwanted following and taking "up skirt" pictures without her knowing.

French equality minister Marlene Schiappa, who steered the law through parliament, hailed the decision and the driver's quick thinking. "Together we will end sexist and sexual violence," she posted on Twitter.

Marlene Schiappa presents a manifesto against impunity for sexual crimes in Paris, October 20, 2017. /VCG Photo

Reported cases of sexual harassment and violence in France have surged this year, with nearly 28,000 complaints registered by police in the first seven months of 2018, up 23 percent from the period a year earlier, according to the interior ministry.

In one of the more shocking recent cases, a woman posted a video in July showing her being punched in broad daylight by a man outside a cafe after she angrily responded to harassing comments.

(Cover: A woman at a bus station in Paris. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP