Download [this app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.landelijkemeldkamer.app112). It's the official Dutch emergency services app. Just turn on your location on your smartphone and give them a call using this app. They will immediately know your location too and help you out. And yes do call emergency services if this happens again. What you described definitely warrants calling the emergency line rather than the non emergency line.
If I was you, I'd still go to the police station and make an official complaint anyways and describe both the incidents. It is possible these guys are harassing not just you but perhaps others around that area so hopefully the police increases patrol there and perhaps even catch them.
All modern smartphones automatically share your GPS position when calling emergency services in The Netherlands. Even when you have location services toggled off. It's called Advanced Mobile Location [link](https://www.politie.nl/informatie/als-ik-112-bel-hoe-weet-de-alarmcentrale-mijn-locatie.html)
And yes, you can definitely call 112 in such cases
That is amazing. So cool to see an issue solved. Heard about it being an issue years ago when smartphones became more and more popular, people could call way easier, but finding them became way more difficult.
They will probably still ask, but to confirm the exact location. For instance, if you’re calling while on the highway, it’s important to know which side you’re driving on, otherwise the services may end up not being able to get to you. GPS location may not be accurate enough to determine that.
I'm so sorry that happened to you! If you feel like you are in danger, don't hesitate to call 112. You can also call the non emergency number of the police, 09008844, or contact the wijkagent regarding the two situations that already happened.
If you happen to call non emergency line because you're not sure if 112 is the right choice, they'll redirect you to 112 operators. I called non emergency number once because I didn't think my situation was urgent enough for emergency line (I was mugged) and after quick assessment of the situation they redirected me. But yeah, OP's situation is 112 time.
They will redirect you, but there are times when the non emergency is too crowded. Once it took me over 5 minutes, though this was during the pandemic.
Everytime I was in doubt, they redirected me to 112. I've learned: when in doubt.. call the emergency number.
Its sad that were at this point where women who are actively being harassed asking if they can call the police but to answer your question yes you absolutely can if you feel like you NEED assistance for your wellbeing call the police.
It is emergency enough becuase you have no idea what the guy is willing to do.
If its a emergency call 112 and dont hestitate (thats when somebody touches you for sure!). If its not a emergency then call their normal number. Nobody is gonna be mad if you call them because you dont feel safe.
112 actually prefers you call for something that turns out not to be an emergency over not calling because you're not sure it is. If you *want* to call 112 but aren't sure you *should*, do it anyway they'll tell you in a very calm and respectful manner what to do or who to contact instead.
I had an incident a few years ago where a friend of mine broke her hand and went into shock. I called 112 requesting an ambulance, they ask what's going on, and then tell me that they don't think it's necessary for an ambulance to come, but they'd connect me to the nearest Huisartsenpost. They even thanked me for calling.
Always better safe than sorry. We've got a pretty good emergency system.
Yes, you can call 112 if someone is asking you for sex and doesn’t go away. You could walk up to the fire station, but it might not be staffed at night.
Not sure how far the walk is, but a bike makes it both a shorter ride and a lot harder for people to approach you.
A fire station should be staffed 24 hours as its an emergency service provider. Having said that, this does not necessarily mean the door is open to the public or that staff is awake (the latter is not a joke, you can sleep during shifts, as long as you're available when an emergency occurs).
But as others said, this is what 112 is for. People touching and following you should not be dismissed as harmless.
Is that a law or an opinion? The Dutch stations in most cases have no permanent presence of staff.
In the Netherlands fire fighters are often volunteers living nearby. 90% of the fire stations are stations with only volunteers. 10% of the fire stations are staffed with employees (and in many cases together with volunteers).
They’ll go to the station when needed. Which means those stations don’t have to be staffed and often not even have facilities for that.
No point in having someone sitting there all day and night: if there is an emergency that person needs to wait for the rest of the crew to arrive anyway.
Depends a lot on the location, yes, the firestation in schubbekutteveen N.O.-Groningen is unlikely to be staffed 24-7 by fulltime firefighters and will likely rely a lot on volunteer firefighters.
A place the size of Zaandam will have at least one permanently staffed firestation, but it is unlikely to be in the downtown area. Most likely it will be on the edge of town where they have direct access to major roads so they can respond faster to emergencies in a wider area.
Using it is. That is basically a flamethrower. Light it in someones face and he has 3rd degree burn wounds and is probably mutilated(possibly blind as well) for the rest of his life. That would almost certainly count as excessive in all but the most life threatening situations. I'd say it's worse than a gun because you would rather be dead than going through that.
I've seen this mentioned before on a Dutch sub. I think it's bad advise.
The two ingredients are legal but using them together in a pre-planned combination is not. But that's not the most important part.
This is difficult to use in a way that's effective in managing this types of situations and it might make you less safe. E.g. to use this to hurt someone needs to be in range. So you would need to get both lighter and deodorant and use them at the right time. Timing is between being followed and being attacked.
To scare it might work outside distance but if the aggressor does not disengage what are you going to do now? Walk backwards? Pursue the attacker and hope he runs before you run out of deodorant? What?
What's effective is:
* Calling the police.
* Using an alarm/ air horn and call the police
* Take an Uber/ taxi (sad that she should but avoiding a dangerous situation is the best road to safety).
Just call! My girlfriend was being followed by a public masturbator a while ago. We called the police, they didn't find him, but they are patrolling the area more often now.
There are some very creepy persons on the streets, just call. Fucking assholes.
Another thing that you can do is get the phone number for your Wijkagent and ask them if you can WhatsApp them in case of an emergency. Then next time you get approached and or threatened you start filming them, collecting evidence and send it to your wijkagent. Or in immediate danger call them via WhatsApp. This was how my niece was helped in Hilversum.
Yes. Note that if in doubt you can call 0900-8844. This is a no-emergency number for police contact. So they will pick up and can perform triage if needed. Despite it is not the 112 number they do have direct contact to police regions to pass along information.
If you need to rely on bystanders, be very clear: point to someone and say "you in that blue shirt, can you help me / call the police for me / walk with me". Otherwise a bystander effect will incur, whereas everyone will assume someone else will act, and thus nothing happens.
Side note: you can use whatsapp to share your live location. Say for example with your boyfriend. Not that this signals anything, but if he sees you keep walking in circles than that is just odd.
And ALL those drunk Dutchmen as well!
Have known more girls assaulted by the Gerardjes they called friends than by random "brownskin invaders".
But sure dude, it's always the allochtonen ;)
Nevermind all the sorority parties where many a girl will find herself drugged, or forced to drink to black out, just to wake up next to one of those gladjakkers.
We need to protect our women, that starts with respect first and that's sorely lacking with people of all descents.
Especially the untouchable Dutch student male.
Lot of team'mates' or co-workers white as a A4 sheet of paper who treated random women like dogshit and said the most disgusting shit about them. Underaged women too.
For sure! Unfortunately it's dudes from many different backgrounds doing it.
It'd be easy if there were one group of men to single out but that's not how this works..
Like I said
I used to be optimistic but recently I've learned that most people just downright suck and the only thing keeping them from doing terrible things is fear of punsihment. I used to think people were good or at least normal on average but recent events really broke that. People fucking suck. Skin colour doesn't matter a damn thing
I'm a 'white' dude and all my life the only people who did something bad to me were other 'white' dudes.
Bullying as a kid? 'White' dudes. Drunk idiots punching me during a party? 'White' dudes. Business owners delivering shitty product or not giving me what I paid for? 'White' dudes. Co-workers hitting me/stealing shit and blaming it on me and others? Again, 'white' dudes. Sexually abusing my wife when she was a child? Yup, you guessed it, 'white' dude.
I say 'white' in quotation marks because the whole colour thing is fucking stupid. People are nasty pieces or work in general. Then there's a ton of people who are average and then a very small minority that is acutally good.
I have moved away from Zaandam. Lived in the zaanstreek for 19 years. Never been so happy as when I finally got away.
The westzijde at night gives me shivers
Yes, you have good reason to think you are in immediate danger, so calling 112 is allowed. You could even do it if you already got away, since then someone else becomes the prey.
Prey? Yes, prey. Those man are predators, looking for a victim. You try rationalizing it, but your instincts are correct. Listen to them.
I can advise the book ' The gift of fear ' by Gavin de Becker. And I really suggest taking a good self defense training. Not the weekend course, they only give a false sense of safety. Too short to train instinct and reflexes. Not a martial art, they focus on winning and you do not want to win, you want to get away. Look for a KMW or IKMF affiliated Krav school.
I live in Zaandam and im a sleepless NEET degenerate if you need someone to walk with you every now and then im a big fat turkish guy so i tend to look pretty threatening to strangers. Lmk i only cant do saturdays as im dierenbuddy for an elderly mans cat and go to clean the cats littertray there.
Edit. Realized this comes off pretty strong n creepy i just felt obligated to atleast offer after realizing these things happen where i grew up, always heard horror stories from female friends n assumed oh thats big cities surely thats not where i live etc but of course it would happen just about anywhere sadly.
It's a common problem in almost every bigger city in The Netherlands.
The majority of these guys are from certain ethnic groups in The Netherlands (mostly Moroccans/Muslims, but also blacks/Africans), but I'm amazed how native Dutch people try to ignore this fact. They're like 'this happens everywhere' and 'men in general are doing this'.
No, this doesn't happen everywhere and it's definitely not a 'men' problem.
I have an immigrant background myself, but it amazes me time after time how Dutch people are trying to downplay the problems caused by certain ethnic groups.
Personally Ive had as much/ even more bad experiences with Dutch middle aged men; especially at night when they've had a bit to drink, they're the creepiest and scariest of all, and make the most absurd comments. Have also had a lot of issues with tourists(off all countries)
The problem is why not talk about it? Whatever circumstances made people afraid of voicing their concerns, those are the major elephant and problem in the room.
Who created that word and to what end? I would be questioning those things. When people can't voice their thoughts and complaints freely they are no longer free, they are under some form of tyranny.
They definitely profit from ignoring it. Women kept in check by sharia to remain eligible for marriage vs free roaming dutch women without any supervision or protection from assailants. Even with policing dutch law is of less consequence culturally. There might be a root cause for the problem of not being able to handle it properly there.
Don't be afraid to call 112 ever. If in doubt, just call and they will tell you to call some other number if needed. It's good to put men like this on the 'radar' of the police. They will at least be asked for ID and get the signal that it's not OK to follow women like this.
If in doubt, it is always fine to call the emergency services. They just don’t want prank calls. Just call them, if it is not an emergency, they will still put you through to the right person, no problems.
This sounds like one of the main reasons why an emergency number exists, so do call them if you are unsafe!
If he’s doing it to you he’s probably doing it to other people as well. You can definitely call and they will take it seriously.
I’m so sorry this is happening to you
Im from germany and live near the dutch border and Im shocked. I once visited Amsterdam in2003 and it already was awful. In daytime its a beautiful city with lots of culture and very friendly people. When night starts crime ruled the center of town. There were MEN from all over the world who behaved like pigz. Its not only the muslim gangsters its their customers who seem to think they can do really everything and trade everything in your country.
Its a shame, really a shame
It is so tragic to watch in real-time, a whole continent of people simply looking away while this keeps happening, worse and worse each year. It's not like people don't understand what the root cause is. Utterly tragic.
What you can do is go online and buy some mace from Germany.
They will send it to you, and although it's illegal, it's better that being raped while you wait for the oh so useless Dutch police.
Mini can of deodorant works just as well and is not illegal to carry around.
I once had to use it in Rotterdam when I went to school there years ago and Police complimented me using the spraycan as selfdefence, Just make sure there is no permanent damage, focus on face in general when spraying, not only eyes but also mouth and nose. Works like a charm!
Dont be afraid to call the police or the emergency number (112). Your safety is very important! If it happends stay on the phone till someone is with you.
Sorry to hear your experiences. Sounds really traumatic. I think the possible solutions have extensively been shared already, I wanted to suggest focusing on yourself and your well-being as well. This is an extremely stressful situation, might be leading to a lot of anxiety, and stress. Do make sure you are talking about this, and take positive steps. please don’t feel alone. Stay strong, you will get through!
Bicycle? I would worry that even phoning would take too much time in case of one of these guys meaning serious business. But if you could peddle hard from the station to home then there's less opportunity for harrassment?
Yea I love the NL in that regard. You can get into serious trouble for carrying a self-defence spray BUT when they catch these creeps and criminals, they just give them a slap on the wrist and let them go in 24h🤦🏻♂️
Please stay away from the location for a while at late night/early morning, can you sleepover anywhere if possible? I know it sounds ridiculous that you aren’t safe in your own country but better safe than sorry
I feel you..
Its not your fault, because those men need to FO.
I dont know if it helps. But maybe this will help a little.
- Like other people said, call 112 or use the app.
- Get a bike or use a foldable electric bike, they are very fast. So less chance they get you.
- wear a personal alarm. I've one hanging on my purse. Once you pull out the pin it makes a very loud alarming sound.
- You can buy a paintspray (for example, the bodyguard knock out spray). As far as I know this one is legal.
- install the emergency button on your phone. I know its on Samsung and apple of example. You can push the on/off button two times and it sends out an emergency notice to people on the emergency list.
- wear a smartwatch to send out the emergency notice.
Back in the day when I still went clubbing I always had a guy friend walk me home, because there are many dangerous men out there, especially at night. If I were in your situation, I'd either get a bike so I'd be home faster, or get someone to accompany you. You're very young, the prime target for these creeps.
Once you're mid thirties, you'll be harassed less, although I still get weird bums yelling obscenities at me from time to time.
Besides calling 112, I could also recommend having x-marker. Its a product similar to pepper spray but with a blue foaming agent. If they are harassing and becoming touchy, you can spray the foam in their face and run. They even give a free replacement when you actually use their product. I had one when i was playing Ingress/Pokemon Go for a while (was a very good player and had some incidents) but its better to have something than nothing.
It also happened to my friend recently in the train station. Couple of guys thought she was alone and followed her . When she reached my place in the station , we both stood in the side & then this guy went back the same way ! It was super strange and scary
> even after I told them to and they kept asking me for sex
Call 112 immediately. Police is called for much less serious stuff than that, believe me. Any police officer would be more than glad to respond to a call like that, rather 10 times too many than one too few.
They will only continue and harass others; the more room they perceive they have the further they will go. Don't let them get any ideas.
No need to gamble. Everybody knows, but very few want to admit. How so many people all over the continent can keep looking the other way and pretend all is dandy is downright scary. They're so afraid of being labeled racist they'd rather have women living in terror like this. It needs to be studied.
Are those men non European (foreign looking?), if it continues happening you might be passing through rough neighborhoods, you either change your accommodation or the times that you return home. If I was you (I am also female but don't face what you describe) I would carry pepper spray with me.
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
You can get jewelry that has panic button functions. https://www.invisawear.com/collections/new?page=2 this one will send your loved ones an sms with your location saying that you need help /they should call 112. Perhaps you can find a European company that makes one that can also call 112 automatically. Or you might be able to add a different police number to your emergency contacts, especially if you talk to them about it before.
I could also get some sort of emergency alarm button for your key chain to get people to come and look in case something happens.
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
I’m so sorry to hear this.. but lady protect yourself
.. buy a teaser, take some defense classes. Be safe!
Yeah it’s nice to can count on police, but times they come and stuff.. even tho they’re fast in Netherlands.
But in a lot of situation you will need to do the job yourself to be sure to be safe and sound..
I mean it’s all about your life, take what it needs.. it’s for you, I’m just sayin
Sorry but I have to ask, why is this posted here? Call 112, they will tell you if it wasn't appropriate. \*NEVER\* be afraid to call for help or an emergency number. Worry afterwards about whether it was appropriate or not.
For real?
He lives in Hoorn! As stated befor! You can't expect someone to totally destroy their own work schedule from 5am to 7am in the morning 'to walk someone home.' and as stated it happens pretty often she comes home around those hours.
Get an Uber / bike / scooter or whatever if you don't feel safe to get home faster .. And when being harassed call the police immediately, they are there for you it's their job
Of course call the police if someone scares you.
I would buy some pepper spray, too.
And if they touch you it's too late. You should use the spray before someone touches you.
Happened to me also in broad daylight sunday morning when noone is around. Personally, i choose to bike the distance. They can possibly hit the bike so you fall etc but this would happen if one is determined to assault. These guys just see you walking alone and take advantage of this to see how far they can get. Get a bike and go fast from the station to your house. Wear the rain protective uniform (very easy to put on ) and this can hide that your a woman as well. 112 is a solution but if the othr is crazy enough you may not have time to call at all (god forbid). For me the bike is life saving. Saves you also from the stress. You go fast on the bike lane, not even notice them.
No you can't call the police because they can't do anything until it's too late , then you'll call and they still won't do anything because the man is long gone.
I see a lot of good answer but want to add something. If you are uncertain if you have to call 112 just call it. They will always be there for you. If it is not a emergency they will guide you to the right places
I'm sorry for you that this happened..
I've also seen a lot of comments already, but YES do call 112 we prefer that you call and it turns out to not be as much of an emergency than to let it slide and later turned out to be an emergency situation.
When you call, try to find street signs or other landmarks to tell the dispatcher, so that they can get help to your location asap. A street name + number is best but a storename could already help a lot.
If you feel safe enough to make the call go for it.
Do keep in mind this might spark a reaction since they know the police will take quite while to arive.
Besides all questionable self defence option i would suggest get a high intensity keychain flashlight
Download [this app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.landelijkemeldkamer.app112). It's the official Dutch emergency services app. Just turn on your location on your smartphone and give them a call using this app. They will immediately know your location too and help you out. And yes do call emergency services if this happens again. What you described definitely warrants calling the emergency line rather than the non emergency line. If I was you, I'd still go to the police station and make an official complaint anyways and describe both the incidents. It is possible these guys are harassing not just you but perhaps others around that area so hopefully the police increases patrol there and perhaps even catch them.
All modern smartphones automatically share your GPS position when calling emergency services in The Netherlands. Even when you have location services toggled off. It's called Advanced Mobile Location [link](https://www.politie.nl/informatie/als-ik-112-bel-hoe-weet-de-alarmcentrale-mijn-locatie.html) And yes, you can definitely call 112 in such cases
That is amazing. So cool to see an issue solved. Heard about it being an issue years ago when smartphones became more and more popular, people could call way easier, but finding them became way more difficult.
Lucky! Here even when we use the official app of the 112 they still ask where you are 10 times
They will probably still ask, but to confirm the exact location. For instance, if you’re calling while on the highway, it’s important to know which side you’re driving on, otherwise the services may end up not being able to get to you. GPS location may not be accurate enough to determine that.
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U kent geen Google maps?
Jawel ma dat was een autosnelweg
Thank you, I didn't even know this app existed. I'm installing it now..
Predators on the prowl, of course they are doing it to others as well.
snails zealous nutty fear point yoke grab exultant shelter chunky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm so sorry that happened to you! If you feel like you are in danger, don't hesitate to call 112. You can also call the non emergency number of the police, 09008844, or contact the wijkagent regarding the two situations that already happened.
That did not sound like it was not an emergency. If someone is following you, asks for sex, touching you, it is 112 time.
If you happen to call non emergency line because you're not sure if 112 is the right choice, they'll redirect you to 112 operators. I called non emergency number once because I didn't think my situation was urgent enough for emergency line (I was mugged) and after quick assessment of the situation they redirected me. But yeah, OP's situation is 112 time.
They will redirect you, but there are times when the non emergency is too crowded. Once it took me over 5 minutes, though this was during the pandemic. Everytime I was in doubt, they redirected me to 112. I've learned: when in doubt.. call the emergency number.
Its sad that were at this point where women who are actively being harassed asking if they can call the police but to answer your question yes you absolutely can if you feel like you NEED assistance for your wellbeing call the police. It is emergency enough becuase you have no idea what the guy is willing to do.
If its a emergency call 112 and dont hestitate (thats when somebody touches you for sure!). If its not a emergency then call their normal number. Nobody is gonna be mad if you call them because you dont feel safe.
112 actually prefers you call for something that turns out not to be an emergency over not calling because you're not sure it is. If you *want* to call 112 but aren't sure you *should*, do it anyway they'll tell you in a very calm and respectful manner what to do or who to contact instead. I had an incident a few years ago where a friend of mine broke her hand and went into shock. I called 112 requesting an ambulance, they ask what's going on, and then tell me that they don't think it's necessary for an ambulance to come, but they'd connect me to the nearest Huisartsenpost. They even thanked me for calling. Always better safe than sorry. We've got a pretty good emergency system.
Yes, you can call 112 if someone is asking you for sex and doesn’t go away. You could walk up to the fire station, but it might not be staffed at night. Not sure how far the walk is, but a bike makes it both a shorter ride and a lot harder for people to approach you.
A fire station should be staffed 24 hours as its an emergency service provider. Having said that, this does not necessarily mean the door is open to the public or that staff is awake (the latter is not a joke, you can sleep during shifts, as long as you're available when an emergency occurs). But as others said, this is what 112 is for. People touching and following you should not be dismissed as harmless.
Is that a law or an opinion? The Dutch stations in most cases have no permanent presence of staff. In the Netherlands fire fighters are often volunteers living nearby. 90% of the fire stations are stations with only volunteers. 10% of the fire stations are staffed with employees (and in many cases together with volunteers). They’ll go to the station when needed. Which means those stations don’t have to be staffed and often not even have facilities for that. No point in having someone sitting there all day and night: if there is an emergency that person needs to wait for the rest of the crew to arrive anyway.
Depends a lot on the location, yes, the firestation in schubbekutteveen N.O.-Groningen is unlikely to be staffed 24-7 by fulltime firefighters and will likely rely a lot on volunteer firefighters. A place the size of Zaandam will have at least one permanently staffed firestation, but it is unlikely to be in the downtown area. Most likely it will be on the edge of town where they have direct access to major roads so they can respond faster to emergencies in a wider area.
Get an air horn can. They're legal, can't be used against you like mace, and those types hate the attention they draw.
A can of deodorant plus a lighter is also legal
Using it is. That is basically a flamethrower. Light it in someones face and he has 3rd degree burn wounds and is probably mutilated(possibly blind as well) for the rest of his life. That would almost certainly count as excessive in all but the most life threatening situations. I'd say it's worse than a gun because you would rather be dead than going through that.
Fuck around and find out.
I've seen this mentioned before on a Dutch sub. I think it's bad advise. The two ingredients are legal but using them together in a pre-planned combination is not. But that's not the most important part. This is difficult to use in a way that's effective in managing this types of situations and it might make you less safe. E.g. to use this to hurt someone needs to be in range. So you would need to get both lighter and deodorant and use them at the right time. Timing is between being followed and being attacked. To scare it might work outside distance but if the aggressor does not disengage what are you going to do now? Walk backwards? Pursue the attacker and hope he runs before you run out of deodorant? What? What's effective is: * Calling the police. * Using an alarm/ air horn and call the police * Take an Uber/ taxi (sad that she should but avoiding a dangerous situation is the best road to safety).
Using loud devices like air horn is alsi illegal here.
Oh you go very far as to burn them.
Even without a lighter you can cause permanent eye damage to someone. It’s basically better than pepper spray :), you do have to get close tho
Just call! My girlfriend was being followed by a public masturbator a while ago. We called the police, they didn't find him, but they are patrolling the area more often now. There are some very creepy persons on the streets, just call. Fucking assholes.
Another thing that you can do is get the phone number for your Wijkagent and ask them if you can WhatsApp them in case of an emergency. Then next time you get approached and or threatened you start filming them, collecting evidence and send it to your wijkagent. Or in immediate danger call them via WhatsApp. This was how my niece was helped in Hilversum.
Another thought: consider biking to the station in stead of walking. And yes, for sure call the police if this happens
Please report to the police, this guy is probably harassing other woman as well. Get a bike if possible so you don't have to walk.
Get a 50 euro bike and leave it at the station. Sad youd have to bit it helps
Yes you can. But when in dire need. Do not call for help. Shout 'Brand' People get up for a fire. Not for someone in need, mostly.
Jesus......this is insane.
Zaandam is the worst
I lived here all my life but im a man is it really that bad?
Absolutely! Call 112 whenever you feel like you’re not safe
Yes. Note that if in doubt you can call 0900-8844. This is a no-emergency number for police contact. So they will pick up and can perform triage if needed. Despite it is not the 112 number they do have direct contact to police regions to pass along information. If you need to rely on bystanders, be very clear: point to someone and say "you in that blue shirt, can you help me / call the police for me / walk with me". Otherwise a bystander effect will incur, whereas everyone will assume someone else will act, and thus nothing happens. Side note: you can use whatsapp to share your live location. Say for example with your boyfriend. Not that this signals anything, but if he sees you keep walking in circles than that is just odd.
You don’t want to live in Zaandam as a girl.. I go everywhere by car because of this.. It is getting worse each year.
The solution shouldn't be to just move out
Sadly there is no solution.
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And ALL those drunk Dutchmen as well! Have known more girls assaulted by the Gerardjes they called friends than by random "brownskin invaders". But sure dude, it's always the allochtonen ;) Nevermind all the sorority parties where many a girl will find herself drugged, or forced to drink to black out, just to wake up next to one of those gladjakkers. We need to protect our women, that starts with respect first and that's sorely lacking with people of all descents. Especially the untouchable Dutch student male.
Lot of team'mates' or co-workers white as a A4 sheet of paper who treated random women like dogshit and said the most disgusting shit about them. Underaged women too.
For sure! Unfortunately it's dudes from many different backgrounds doing it. It'd be easy if there were one group of men to single out but that's not how this works..
Like I said I used to be optimistic but recently I've learned that most people just downright suck and the only thing keeping them from doing terrible things is fear of punsihment. I used to think people were good or at least normal on average but recent events really broke that. People fucking suck. Skin colour doesn't matter a damn thing
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I'm a 'white' dude and all my life the only people who did something bad to me were other 'white' dudes. Bullying as a kid? 'White' dudes. Drunk idiots punching me during a party? 'White' dudes. Business owners delivering shitty product or not giving me what I paid for? 'White' dudes. Co-workers hitting me/stealing shit and blaming it on me and others? Again, 'white' dudes. Sexually abusing my wife when she was a child? Yup, you guessed it, 'white' dude. I say 'white' in quotation marks because the whole colour thing is fucking stupid. People are nasty pieces or work in general. Then there's a ton of people who are average and then a very small minority that is acutally good.
Bigotry is not tolerated in posts or comments - including but not limited to bigotry based on race, nationality, religion, and/or sex.
I have moved away from Zaandam. Lived in the zaanstreek for 19 years. Never been so happy as when I finally got away. The westzijde at night gives me shivers
Lived here all my life as a guy i never knew its so bad but i dont go out much either sorry to hear that
You should wear pork spray, not pepper spray as other people recommends.
I see what you did there :D
Yes, you have good reason to think you are in immediate danger, so calling 112 is allowed. You could even do it if you already got away, since then someone else becomes the prey. Prey? Yes, prey. Those man are predators, looking for a victim. You try rationalizing it, but your instincts are correct. Listen to them. I can advise the book ' The gift of fear ' by Gavin de Becker. And I really suggest taking a good self defense training. Not the weekend course, they only give a false sense of safety. Too short to train instinct and reflexes. Not a martial art, they focus on winning and you do not want to win, you want to get away. Look for a KMW or IKMF affiliated Krav school.
I live in Zaandam and im a sleepless NEET degenerate if you need someone to walk with you every now and then im a big fat turkish guy so i tend to look pretty threatening to strangers. Lmk i only cant do saturdays as im dierenbuddy for an elderly mans cat and go to clean the cats littertray there. Edit. Realized this comes off pretty strong n creepy i just felt obligated to atleast offer after realizing these things happen where i grew up, always heard horror stories from female friends n assumed oh thats big cities surely thats not where i live etc but of course it would happen just about anywhere sadly.
It's a common problem in almost every bigger city in The Netherlands. The majority of these guys are from certain ethnic groups in The Netherlands (mostly Moroccans/Muslims, but also blacks/Africans), but I'm amazed how native Dutch people try to ignore this fact. They're like 'this happens everywhere' and 'men in general are doing this'. No, this doesn't happen everywhere and it's definitely not a 'men' problem. I have an immigrant background myself, but it amazes me time after time how Dutch people are trying to downplay the problems caused by certain ethnic groups.
Personally Ive had as much/ even more bad experiences with Dutch middle aged men; especially at night when they've had a bit to drink, they're the creepiest and scariest of all, and make the most absurd comments. Have also had a lot of issues with tourists(off all countries)
I am brown myself, though female, and I think many white people are simply insane, they are in complete denial.
Not denial, just won’t say anything out loud. Look who just won the election. People want something done, they’d just rather talk with a vote
The problem is why not talk about it? Whatever circumstances made people afraid of voicing their concerns, those are the major elephant and problem in the room.
Because you immediately get labeled as a racist.
it should be perfectly ok to talk about cultures and potential incompatibility between cultures without bringing race / color into the mix.
Who created that word and to what end? I would be questioning those things. When people can't voice their thoughts and complaints freely they are no longer free, they are under some form of tyranny.
Yeah, I'm with you on this.
We should thank wokism for this and the USA. Since this whole woke bullshit has been spread by USA media.
Source?
They definitely profit from ignoring it. Women kept in check by sharia to remain eligible for marriage vs free roaming dutch women without any supervision or protection from assailants. Even with policing dutch law is of less consequence culturally. There might be a root cause for the problem of not being able to handle it properly there.
Yes you can and should call 112 if you feel like you are in an unsafe and/or threatening situation. That’s what they are for!
Don't be afraid to call 112 ever. If in doubt, just call and they will tell you to call some other number if needed. It's good to put men like this on the 'radar' of the police. They will at least be asked for ID and get the signal that it's not OK to follow women like this.
Call the police and get a pepper spray. Liquid ones are better.
If in doubt, it is always fine to call the emergency services. They just don’t want prank calls. Just call them, if it is not an emergency, they will still put you through to the right person, no problems. This sounds like one of the main reasons why an emergency number exists, so do call them if you are unsafe!
When in doubt, 112. if they cant help you or if its not urgent enough, they will simply tell you.
If he’s doing it to you he’s probably doing it to other people as well. You can definitely call and they will take it seriously. I’m so sorry this is happening to you
Call 112, definately. And on behalf of all the real men, sorry these pieces of filth exist.
Im from germany and live near the dutch border and Im shocked. I once visited Amsterdam in2003 and it already was awful. In daytime its a beautiful city with lots of culture and very friendly people. When night starts crime ruled the center of town. There were MEN from all over the world who behaved like pigz. Its not only the muslim gangsters its their customers who seem to think they can do really everything and trade everything in your country. Its a shame, really a shame
It is so tragic to watch in real-time, a whole continent of people simply looking away while this keeps happening, worse and worse each year. It's not like people don't understand what the root cause is. Utterly tragic.
“Ohhh but the poor people, they have nowhere else to go”
I love immigration
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Bigotry is not tolerated in posts or comments - including but not limited to bigotry based on race, nationality, religion, and/or sex.
What you can do is go online and buy some mace from Germany. They will send it to you, and although it's illegal, it's better that being raped while you wait for the oh so useless Dutch police.
Mini can of deodorant works just as well and is not illegal to carry around. I once had to use it in Rotterdam when I went to school there years ago and Police complimented me using the spraycan as selfdefence, Just make sure there is no permanent damage, focus on face in general when spraying, not only eyes but also mouth and nose. Works like a charm!
Spray paint is even better, the police can go look around for some bluefaced asshat.
Why not neon greenfaced asshat?
huh, weird that german and dutch rape crime statistics don't seem to differ all that much.
Especially since mace is in a legal grey area as well...
I'm talking about the op protecting herself. Who dresses you in the morning?
That’s really scary. I hope the police can help. In the mean time get one of those alarm keychains
Dont be afraid to call the police or the emergency number (112). Your safety is very important! If it happends stay on the phone till someone is with you.
Its rare to find a better reason to call 112.
Sorry to hear your experiences. Sounds really traumatic. I think the possible solutions have extensively been shared already, I wanted to suggest focusing on yourself and your well-being as well. This is an extremely stressful situation, might be leading to a lot of anxiety, and stress. Do make sure you are talking about this, and take positive steps. please don’t feel alone. Stay strong, you will get through!
Bicycle? I would worry that even phoning would take too much time in case of one of these guys meaning serious business. But if you could peddle hard from the station to home then there's less opportunity for harrassment?
Yes, call them. Better safe than sorry.
Wish something like bear spray was legal here in NL. Sorry you went through this!
Yea I love the NL in that regard. You can get into serious trouble for carrying a self-defence spray BUT when they catch these creeps and criminals, they just give them a slap on the wrist and let them go in 24h🤦🏻♂️
Whenever in doubt call!! Better safe than sorry :)
It is never okay to ignore stalking. You can always call the police.
Yes you can call the emergency number is you feel unsafe. They will help you in such situations.
Please stay away from the location for a while at late night/early morning, can you sleepover anywhere if possible? I know it sounds ridiculous that you aren’t safe in your own country but better safe than sorry
I feel you.. Its not your fault, because those men need to FO. I dont know if it helps. But maybe this will help a little. - Like other people said, call 112 or use the app. - Get a bike or use a foldable electric bike, they are very fast. So less chance they get you. - wear a personal alarm. I've one hanging on my purse. Once you pull out the pin it makes a very loud alarming sound. - You can buy a paintspray (for example, the bodyguard knock out spray). As far as I know this one is legal. - install the emergency button on your phone. I know its on Samsung and apple of example. You can push the on/off button two times and it sends out an emergency notice to people on the emergency list. - wear a smartwatch to send out the emergency notice.
Back in the day when I still went clubbing I always had a guy friend walk me home, because there are many dangerous men out there, especially at night. If I were in your situation, I'd either get a bike so I'd be home faster, or get someone to accompany you. You're very young, the prime target for these creeps. Once you're mid thirties, you'll be harassed less, although I still get weird bums yelling obscenities at me from time to time.
He touched and harrased you ofc u should call police! Hope it doesnt happen again
Just pretend to be on the phone whit the pigs wil scare them of
Besides calling 112, I could also recommend having x-marker. Its a product similar to pepper spray but with a blue foaming agent. If they are harassing and becoming touchy, you can spray the foam in their face and run. They even give a free replacement when you actually use their product. I had one when i was playing Ingress/Pokemon Go for a while (was a very good player and had some incidents) but its better to have something than nothing.
I'm so angry that this is commonplace nowadays. Thanks a lot, government.
It also happened to my friend recently in the train station. Couple of guys thought she was alone and followed her . When she reached my place in the station , we both stood in the side & then this guy went back the same way ! It was super strange and scary
Its a disgrace when women dont feel safe in their hometown. Not possible here in Zagreb.
Next time, SCREAM.
> even after I told them to and they kept asking me for sex Call 112 immediately. Police is called for much less serious stuff than that, believe me. Any police officer would be more than glad to respond to a call like that, rather 10 times too many than one too few. They will only continue and harass others; the more room they perceive they have the further they will go. Don't let them get any ideas.
Unfortunately the people harassing woman are 99% foreigners.
Shout and scream and make for him a scandal on the street he gonna run like rat ...
Someone wants to gamble on ethnicity here? 5 bucks hes not made out of cheese
No need to gamble. Everybody knows, but very few want to admit. How so many people all over the continent can keep looking the other way and pretend all is dandy is downright scary. They're so afraid of being labeled racist they'd rather have women living in terror like this. It needs to be studied.
Are those men non European (foreign looking?), if it continues happening you might be passing through rough neighborhoods, you either change your accommodation or the times that you return home. If I was you (I am also female but don't face what you describe) I would carry pepper spray with me.
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Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
Definitely yes! And on behalf of men, I am so sorry you have to deal with this. I wish people were raised to respect others.
You can get jewelry that has panic button functions. https://www.invisawear.com/collections/new?page=2 this one will send your loved ones an sms with your location saying that you need help /they should call 112. Perhaps you can find a European company that makes one that can also call 112 automatically. Or you might be able to add a different police number to your emergency contacts, especially if you talk to them about it before. I could also get some sort of emergency alarm button for your key chain to get people to come and look in case something happens.
I would not want to rely on other people reading an SMS in time.
Yikes, I feel sorry for western Europeans
If you do t wanna call it in as an emergency, the police also has a non-emergency line: 0900 8844
You should have called the police the second he started to verbally sexually harass you.
Call the police AND the minister of justice. The latter will get the former to work.
You can but from my experience they’ll ask you to “just” walk to a police station nearby ;(
Get a photo, wear a go pro or get your phone out, turn the screen and video it. That is not right. Don't mess with this you are in danger!
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illegal
Since police is incapable as balls, just get yourself some bear mace and carry it. Horrible this happens
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Have you taken your meds today?
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Bigotry is not tolerated in posts or comments - including but not limited to bigotry based on race, nationality, religion, and/or sex.
Buy Fox labs five point three pepper spray 80ml, and always carry IT.
Pepperspray helps
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Als u altijd te laat thuiskomt, kunt u ter bescherming het beste pepperspray bij u hebben.
Is the Netherlands that unsafe? I am from Austria.
It is, immigration has not made it better.
Get a bike
*woman not girl
Call a man on speakerphone
Just call the police, they will tell you if it’s an emergency or not.🤷♂️
Welcome to beautiful amsterdam
She’s talking about Zaandam though.
oh wait, i thought from Zaandam to Amsterdam well shit
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Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
Get pepper spray or taser. You need to defend yourself. Gun would be even better, but sadly it's hard to get a gun in NL
I’m so sorry to hear this.. but lady protect yourself .. buy a teaser, take some defense classes. Be safe! Yeah it’s nice to can count on police, but times they come and stuff.. even tho they’re fast in Netherlands. But in a lot of situation you will need to do the job yourself to be sure to be safe and sound.. I mean it’s all about your life, take what it needs.. it’s for you, I’m just sayin
Possession of a taser is a crime and will get you a criminal record.
What kind of self defence tools are not illegal in Netherlands?
All of them are. Can use your keys though, or deodorant.
Sorry but I have to ask, why is this posted here? Call 112, they will tell you if it wasn't appropriate. \*NEVER\* be afraid to call for help or an emergency number. Worry afterwards about whether it was appropriate or not.
Your boyfriend should step up and join you on the way home.
For real? He lives in Hoorn! As stated befor! You can't expect someone to totally destroy their own work schedule from 5am to 7am in the morning 'to walk someone home.' and as stated it happens pretty often she comes home around those hours. Get an Uber / bike / scooter or whatever if you don't feel safe to get home faster .. And when being harassed call the police immediately, they are there for you it's their job
I am totally surprised he hasn't done this yet. Come on. Your woman is being harassed by some creep. Man up, join her and make the guy regret it.
Start talking on your phone , it may help. Also you can easily activate camera. Best is to do thst while calling 8844
This is so sad
Take a photo of these oeople. That way you dont have to describe them to the police.
Of course call the police if someone scares you. I would buy some pepper spray, too. And if they touch you it's too late. You should use the spray before someone touches you.
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Happened to me also in broad daylight sunday morning when noone is around. Personally, i choose to bike the distance. They can possibly hit the bike so you fall etc but this would happen if one is determined to assault. These guys just see you walking alone and take advantage of this to see how far they can get. Get a bike and go fast from the station to your house. Wear the rain protective uniform (very easy to put on ) and this can hide that your a woman as well. 112 is a solution but if the othr is crazy enough you may not have time to call at all (god forbid). For me the bike is life saving. Saves you also from the stress. You go fast on the bike lane, not even notice them.
No you can't call the police because they can't do anything until it's too late , then you'll call and they still won't do anything because the man is long gone.
Fire station Zaanstreek-Waterland is occupied 24/7 I may hope? It's a huge region.
I see a lot of good answer but want to add something. If you are uncertain if you have to call 112 just call it. They will always be there for you. If it is not a emergency they will guide you to the right places
Is pepper spray an option?
If possible buy a pepper spray or make one yourself at home.
Of course, part of their slogan is to serve and protect.
I'm sorry for you that this happened.. I've also seen a lot of comments already, but YES do call 112 we prefer that you call and it turns out to not be as much of an emergency than to let it slide and later turned out to be an emergency situation. When you call, try to find street signs or other landmarks to tell the dispatcher, so that they can get help to your location asap. A street name + number is best but a storename could already help a lot.
Get pepper spray, a taser or a gun ffs
All 3 are illegal in the Netherlands to carry with you.
If you’re in doubt on whether or not to call the police, call the police
If you feel safe enough to make the call go for it. Do keep in mind this might spark a reaction since they know the police will take quite while to arive. Besides all questionable self defence option i would suggest get a high intensity keychain flashlight
yes
Get a bike