The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has defended its stance on introducing stricter penalties for verbal sexual harassment, dismissing concerns regarding the definition and scope of such offenses.
Parliamentary Secretary General Dirk Wiese, in comments to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, argued against what he termed a “sham debate” regarding the distinction between harassment and innocuous compliments, stating it trivializes a significant problem. He expressed confidence in the judiciary’s ability to appropriately assess such cases, drawing parallels to the adjudication of existing offenses like insults.
Wiese specifically addressed the practice known as “catcalling” asserting that it represents “serious verbal sexual harassment” rather than harmless whistling.
The proposal for a new criminal offense specifically targeting verbal sexual harassment, including “catcalling” was initially put forward by Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD). However, coalition partners have expressed reservations regarding the necessity of explicitly criminalizing these actions.
