How safe do you feel on the streets of Brussels?

ACHAÏSO

I feel very safe here. I’ve never experienced harassment in Brussels, no matter which commune I go to. I never have problems when walking, even late at night. I feel Brussels is a welcoming city; that women are safe, no matter what they wear or what they do. I can go around Matongé and feel very at ease but I have friends who never go there because being in an African environment that they don’t know, they will have a defensive attitude and then the people there feel shocked, victimised, minimised and they react.

ANDRÉA

Yes, of course, it’s happened to me. In the metro and in the train stations mostly. It makes me feel bad but I put in my headphones so I don’t hear too much. I just pass by and go on my way. It makes me angry, it’s not normal. I work here but I live in Enghien in Wallonia. It never happens there. I don’t know how it could be changed – it’s just about having a minimum of respect. I don’t think women shout like that at men. I never reply. It’s often small gangs and I’m afraid that they would do something.

DENIZ

I’m from Turkey, I’ve been living in Brussels for one month and I’ve had no bad experiences. Of course I feel safe. It’s the capital of Europe, that’s why. I’m 39 years old and it’s safe for me. I live in Molenbeek, but I feel safe. The people are friendly. I don’t think it’s different for women – it’s fine also. I lived in Antalya and everything is the same as in Brussels. For women, in Europe it’s safe, and in Turkey it’s safe too.

ESSAKAL

I haven’t been, but I know lots of girls who are harassed in the street by men and I intervene every time. If not, it escalates and it just gets worse. Of course I step in because the girls are not happy, the guys are being real idiots to them, and the girls are our friends so if they’re harassed, we have to say something. Frankly I ask myself that question quite often, why they do it. I’m not like that – if a girl says no, I’m not going to start forcing her. It annoys the girl even more. Men have to realise that if a girl says no, it’s no.

ANAÏS

Yes, I’ve experienced it. It’s not always harassment where they say things to me – sometimes it’s insistent looks. Or in bars, they say “Do you want to join us”, and then I feel really uncomfortable. I say no, and immediately they become more aggressive. After that I rethink a bit, ask myself how I should have reacted. Sometimes in a group I feel stronger, so I respond by joking, in a self-deprecating way. And then they don’t know what to say. So voilà. It’s complicated. We can’t just stop men from flirting. Clearly that’s nice. But they need to understand how to flirt with respect.

This article first appeared in The Bulletin Spring 2018