Rotterdam police receive tips from mothers to tackle street harassment
More than ten years ago, the project Unwise Mothers was created in Rotterdam-Delfshaven. The reason? Lots of youth nuisance. Community police officer Thomas Schippers joined forces with a number of mothers and organized special information meetings with them. Still other mothers from the ward heard about the problems and wanted to help too. And with success.
The nuisance decreased, about which Community police officer Thomas Schippers says the following: “The mothers addressed their children much more specifically about their behavior. Previously, they thought their children didn’t do ‘things like that’.”
Statistics Netherlands research shows that 77% of women aged 15-25 experience street harassment at some point. Reason for the Rotterdam police to call in help. And who can do that better than… mothers in particular. The project – which will be called Unwise Mothers – helps to tackle problems such as street harassment, sexting and drug nuisance.
Advice
Community police officer Thomas Schippers, a youth worker and an employee of the Public Prosecution Service listen to all mothers who want to tell their stories and problems. The mothers in turn receive advice on what they can do against street harassment. For themselves and for their sons and daughters.
In conversation
The mothers also learn to recognize signs when their own child may be involved in questionable matters. “For example, in the past I have sometimes brought a pony pack – a bag of drugs – to a meeting,” says Schippers. “One of the mothers said she had come across something similar in her son’s laundry. She didn’t know what it was at first. Then you can talk about it with each other.”
For the police, the mothers in the neighborhood are a second pair of ears and eyes in the neighborhood. Schippers: “Usually they don’t come by until after a meeting or they report matters later by telephone. The mothers are afraid of becoming a target themselves. That is why it is important that we gain trust.”
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Source: AD
