VUB professor reprimanded for Facebook post about rape

The Free University of Brussels (VUB) has reprimanded Willem Elias, dean of the psychology faculty, for a Facebook post he made in the immediate aftermath of the death of former socialist politician Steve Stevaert last week.

Stevaert’s body was found in a canal near Hasselt on the same day that he was informed by the court that there was enough evidence to try him on rape charges. A woman submitted the complaint in 2013, saying that Stevaert – who had long served the socialist party as a minister and provincial governor before leaving politics in 2009 – had raped her in his office in 2010, but she was afraid to come forward out of fear of losing her government job.

Elias (pictured), a friend of Stevaert, first addressed his post to the former minister, writing “the women… a weakness that we understand”.

He then addressed the post to “the woman who has this on her conscience. You go to the police immediately after a rape, or at the most a day later. Not after three years. And victims who are driven home by the chauffeur are even more rare,” he concluded, referring to elements of the case.

VUB rector Paul De Knop described the message as “inappropriate”. “Victims also need our support,” he said. “This message does not represent the views of the university.”

After the post was picked up and widely published in media across the country, the university examined Elias past posts and discovered that this was not the first instance that he criticised women for reporting rape. He noted, for example, that the accusations of rape against the French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn “wasn’t a problem for Louis XIV”.

The VUB this week issued a statement. “Last weekend, rector Paul De Knop had a serious discussion with professor Willem Elias. The rector made his disapproval of his expressions on Facebook more than clear and stressed how hurtful they were. Professor Elias accepted his responsibility and apologised sincerely to his faculty, to the university and, above all, to the victims of sexual violence.”

“The last thing I want to do is minimise rape,” Elias said in his own statement. “I apologise to anyone who has been injured by my words.”

 “The obstacles are substantial”

In related news, federal minister for equal opportunities Elke Sleurs called this week for more support for victims of rape to make it easier for them to report the crime. According to research, nine out of 10 women who are raped in Belgium do not file a report.

“The obstacles for victims are of course substantial,” Sleurs told VRT News, and “the figures are, unfortunately, not good. Everyone does their best, but the problem is a difficult one. I think we need to better train police, psychologists, social workers and doctors.”

Sleurs proposed multi-disciplinary support teams based on the model of the expertise centre at Ghent University, which holds consultations specifically aimed at the victims of sexual violence. “However, in practice, it isn’t always simple,” she said. “If someone is raped in a small town, how do you bring them in contact with an expertise centre? These are matters we are looking into. We want to figure out how to bring help closer to the victims.”

The minister plans to produce an action plan by the summer. Sleurs is also a member of the board of VUB and was asked to react to the Elias statements. “I find that unfortunate, of course,” she said. “That sort of stereotypical thinking lies deep within our society, and it’s something we need to work on. Any statements that result in victims feeling discriminated against are to be deplored.”

photo courtesy Het Nieuwsblad