Overview

• Stefanie Hubig said creating a new criminal offence for verbal sexual harassment is conceivable and signaled she wants to move legislation forward.
• She noted the coalition agreement requires examining stronger criminal-law protections against harassment and stated that this review is in progress.
• Hubig acknowledged grey areas between clumsy compliments and punishable conduct but argued the legal system can handle such boundaries without excess.
• SPD deputy parliamentary leader Sonja Eichwede previously urged penalties for verbal sexual harassment, initially proposing fines to be defined in drafting.
• The Netherlands has criminalized public-space sexual harassment since July 2024, and Hubig criticized the term “catcalling” as minimizing and sexist.