PARIS - A man who slapped a woman's
bottom on a bus near Paris has been jailed for three months and,
in a first under a new law against cat-calling, also fined for
lewd remarks about her physique.
The man, inebriated when he boarded the rush-hour bus,
smacked the 21-year-old on the buttocks and made an insulting
comment about her breasts, before a squabble with the bus
driver, who jammed the doors shut while police were alerted.
A judge in Evry, south of Paris, sentenced the man, in his
30s, to three months behind bars for the slap, considered an act
of outright sexual aggression, and added a fine of 300 euros
($353) for the offending comments.
Court and justice ministry officials said the fine was the
first imposed under legislation that seeks to deter predatory
remarks and harassing actions such as wolf-whistles, which are
fairly commonplace in public life in France.
The minister behind the legislation, which also allows for
on-the-spot fines of as much as 750 euros ($880), posted a
message on Twitter hailing the court decision.
"Bravo for the bus driver's quick-wittedness and the penalty
imposed," said Marlene Schiappa, the gender equality minister.
The sentence comes weeks after an episode of violent sexual
harassment in the street was captured on CCTV footage.
In the video, a man who had wolf-whistled a 22-year-old
woman outside a Paris cafe was seen punching her in the face
after she rebuffed him with sharp words.
A suspect in that case was arrested in late August after the
footage went viral, prompting a police hunt.
Globally, one in three women and girls experiences physical
or sexual violence, the United Nations estimates. In France, a
recent survey showed more than half -- 53% -- of women
say they have experienced sexual harassment or assault.