Leuven takes pride in its image of being a safe and clean university town. But persistent talk of a string of sexual harassment incidents and even of a serial rapist in recent weeks have cast doubt on this bright picture of the city.

On the 3rd of May, an email went out from Tine Baelmans, the Vice Rector for Student Affairs, informing the university community of reports of female students being harassed in public places in the city. While the email did not provide details about the students, their ordeal, and the perpetrators, Ms Baelmans gave assurances that the university is cooperating closely with police and students in an effort to put a stop to such occurrences. She likewise urged everyone “to stay vigilant and alert” and to “report any unacceptable behaviour as soon as possible.”

The email addresses rather troubling stories of sexual attacks going around these past weeks. In the most recent issue of Veto, the Dutch language student newspaper, an article mentions rumours of a man who hurled acid into a girl’s face, of two girls assaulted on the Ladeuzeplein, and of four girls sexually attacked in a van. There was chatter about 16 girls being brutally raped after having had acid thrown at their faces. Student police inspector Nick Vanden Bussche has on his Facebook page categorically denied the truth of these stories, which he calls “flagrantly incorrect.” However, there have been reported instances of harassment that could have given some credence to the rumours.

The police confirmed that there have been incidents of girls whose breasts were grabbed and whose behinds were pinched. These happened in the town center or while the girls were jogging. Among the culprits there were men who bolted away after the deed and drunk students. There is also the confirmed case of a girl who got a certain chemical fluid thrown at her face and whose clothes the perpetrator tried to rip off in an abandoned university building. The girl resisted and the man took off. Fortunately the police pursued and quickly apprehended the man.

Student police inspector Vanden Bussche underlines that the police has been carrying out a thorough investigation and that from this one fact has clearly emerged: there is no serial rapist in Leuven hunting for the next prey. The incidents of harassment and inappropriate behaviour were unrelated and involved different perpetrators. Not only have the police contacted all the major dailies and radio stations to set the record straight, but they have also been coordinating with authorities at the K.U. Leuven, Groep T, and the KHLeuven.

Vanden Bussche has had to give more than 15 interviews about the whole affair and he has also provided facts about it (in Dutch) on his Facebook wall. While pointing out that vigilance and taking extra precaution cannot hurt, he puts our worries to rest by stressing that there is absolutely no reason to panic and that Leuven remains the safe university town that it is. |