Stop rape and protect women around Parc du Cinquantenaire with more police presence

On Friday 22nd January 2021 at 9pm, I was walking home alone when a man tried to rape me on Avenue de la Chevalerie – close to Parc du Cinquantenaire in Etterbeek, Brussels. Thankfully, I managed to get away.

The next day, when I reported the incident to the police, they told me I was very lucky to have escaped. According to them, there are MONTHLY cases of rape and sexual assault around this area. These usually occur after the sun sets, and sometimes there is more than one man. As a new resident here in Brussels, this came as a huge surprise to me.

The next day, when I reported the incident to the police, they told me I was very lucky to have escaped. According to them, there are MONTHLY cases of rape and sexual assault around this area. These usually occur after the sun sets, and sometimes there is more than one man. As a new resident here in Brussels, this came as a huge surprise to me.

When I asked them why there isn’t more surveillance and control – since they know it’s a hotspot for sexual assault and rape – they replied with regret that ‘there aren’t enough resources’.

Belgium has one of the highest income tax rates in the world. We have seen how funds can be allocated in times of need to important areas of social protection and care. The recent COVID pandemic is a prime example. This, I believe, is not a question of resources, but of priorities.

If Brussels – the heart of the European Union – cannot protect women from being raped on a monthly basis in an area of the city that is quite literally on the doorstep of the EU quarter where government officials work every day, what hope is left for women’s safety elsewhere?

You can sign the petition here.

Video from the national television broadcast (in Dutch).