Lawyer Sébas Diekstra confirmed to NU.nl that indeed several conversations took place in the background, but that the persons ultimately decided not to go to the police with their story.
The three candidates the news site spoke to had hoped for more charges and are concerned that their story will not be convincing enough if it goes to trial. The experiences of other victims can reinforce their story and show that there was a pattern. They know from personal stories that there are more victims. But many women are afraid to step out of anonymity, or have already given it a place.
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There are already five complaints against band leader Jeroen Rietbergen, coach Ali B and director Martijn N. A declaration against Marco Borsato is separate from the investigation. Also the three women with whom NU.nl spoke went to the police. According to NU.nl the fear of flying out if one was out of step led to a taciturn attitude. Partly because of this, the women found it difficult to express themselves.
For example, a kiss on the mouth was accepted by one of them because she thought it ‘belongs’. Another says that when she made a comment that the focus was very much on her appearance, it was laughed off. When another candidate did speak out against Jeroen Rietbergen after a sexually tinted comment, she was asked whether she knew who he was.
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Of the three women, two say they have never been referred to a confidential counselor and even doubt whether there was one at all. The third candidate says there was one when she entered, but she never dared approach him.
In the program BOOS abuses happened in January The voice of Holland offer. Several women shared their stories about sexually transgressive behavior behind the scenes. In total, dozens of women told their story about band leader Jeroen Rietbergen, coaches Ali B and Marco Borsato and a director. Jeroen put down his work. He admitted to having had “sexual relationships” with women involved in the program.
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