in Belgium, sexual violence in the nightlife denounced on social networks

Sexual violence in the night world. After the report in early October of several assaults on young women in two bars in a student district of Brussels, the hashtag “Balance your bar” appeared on Belgian social networks, causing a shock wave in the country. Like the free speech movement enabled by the “Me too” or “Balance ton porc” movement, dozens of young women report having been attacked or drugged without their knowledge in cafes or nightclubs in the Belgian capital, forcing the owners of the establishments and the government to react.

They made their voices heard by demonstrating in the streets but it is on the Instagram page “Balance your bar” that dozens of young women tell. “I was celebrating my 18th birthday, the box was closing, the bouncer pinned me to the wall. I had only drunk one beer, I was found unconscious in the toilet”, can we read on a publication. A little further, another says to have woken up naked in the bed of a stranger.

These chilling testimonies were relayed by the Belgian media. The capital’s bars and nightclubs are mentioned by name, their bosses vilified. Impunity in the nightlife must end, says Maité Meeus, 23, who created the hashtag. “The establishments often clear themselves by saying that it is not their fault, ‘we brew so many customers’. But the real question is: are you putting things in place to protect your customers?”, explains the young woman.

Local elected officials have made a commitment to bring together the owners of the establishment to develop an action plan. A nightclub in question has already announced specific training for its staff and will deploy a dedicated team to prevent these attacks. The federal government, for its part, is committed to speeding up the handling of complaints.

Maïte Meeus decided to open pages on the Instagram social network to collect testimonials in France from student cities. Toulouse, Lyon, Paris or Lille “Balance ton bar” pages have thus appeared.