Report Reveals Bullying, Sexual Harassment at Dutch Parliament

Sarah Jacob
Updated ·1 min read

(Bloomberg) -- More than one in three civil servants surveyed at the Dutch parliament have experienced transgressive behavior such as bullying and sexual harassment, a report from Utrecht University reveals.

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Researchers surveyed 654 civil servants, parliamentary workers and members of parliament and found that more than a third experienced some form of transgression from colleagues. “Some chamber residents in more powerful positions take and are given more space to push the boundaries of what is appropriate and go (sometimes far) beyond them,” the report, published on Monday, said.

The university, which was commissioned to investigate social safety at the legislative body by the speaker of the Dutch House of Representatives, also said that the manner in which these reports were addressed were at times inadequate.

The report cited incidents of disparaging remarks, discrimination, sabotage, improper pressure and sexual harassment as examples of transgressive behavior.

The speaker of the lower house of the bicameral Dutch parliament did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the results of the study.

The Dutch government last year named a commissioner to tackle sexual violence and misconduct in the workplace after a number of scandals involving high-profile men.

Read: World’s First MeToo Official Finds a Tougher Job Than She Expected

--With assistance from April Roach.

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