The civil parties in the file against television maker Bart De Pauw will not appeal against the verdict that was pronounced on 25 November by the criminal court of Mechelen. The civil parties do not agree with a few things in the verdict, but are satisfied that there was recognition that the offenses that De Pauw committed are indeed punishable. De Pauw was sentenced to six months in prison with a postponement for assaulting five women and electronic nuisance in relation to one of them.
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“My clients are satisfied that Bart De Pauw’s transgressive behavior was condemned by the court and recognized as punishable,” says master Christine Mussche, who acted for all civil parties. “That was the most important thing to them. The legal battle in which they have been involved for four years, and which incidentally did not come about on their initiative, will hopefully come to an end. That is a huge relief for them. It took a lot of courage, time and energy, but they did put a stone in the river by daring to raise this behaviour.’
However, the fact that they do not appeal does not mean that they fully agree with the verdict. For example, the civil parties find it incomprehensible that the judges did not take into account the repetitive nature of the facts and assessed the assault woman by woman without looking at the bigger picture. ‘Hardly any attention is paid to the recurring pattern that every woman became a victim of, nor to the balance of power between De Pauw and the women’, it sounds.
Strong social signal
The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men is also starving with this verdict. Their claim was declared inadmissible. The court ruled that this case has nothing to do with gender. ‘Harassment, especially in the workplace, is an outspoken gender-related problem,’ says director Liesbet Stevens. ‘On the other hand, this judgment is a strong social signal that transgressive behavior has no place in the workplace. Not even if you’re a powerful, popular figure. As an Institute, we are therefore following the victims in their decision not to appeal against this verdict.’
The women who filed a civil suit could not be reached for comment. They wish to respect the term of appeal, which runs until December 27.
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