French bill would fine men up to $885 for catcalling

A bill approved this week by France’s National Assembly aimed at fighting sexual harassment on the street would see men who catcall women fined up to $885.

The bill, which now moves to France’s Senate, would fine French citizens of both sexes who are guilty of a variety of sexual harassment in public spaces anywhere from 90 to 750 euros, Reuters reports.

French President Emmanuel Macron made ending France’s culture of sexual harassment a central plank of his campaign for president in 2017, and has pledged to sign the bill.

{mosads}The new measure is meant to ensure “women are not afraid to be outside,” Macron has said.

The bill also strengthens France’s system for handling underage rapes, extending the deadline for reporting such a crime from 20 years after the victim turns 18 to 30 years.

A provision in the bill that would have presumed coercion in the case of sexual acts between a minor and an adult was stripped from the bill, however, over concerns that France’s highest court would find the bill unconstitutional.

The bill is opposed by some members of France’s conservative parties, including lawmaker Emmanuelle Menard who called the bill a “witchhunt against men” that outlawed “a certain bawdy behavior which cannot be compared to harassment” during a Wednesday debate, according to Reuters.