Harassment in the Brussels EU bubble

Allegations include EU work contracts offered in exchange for sex and young women being sent to bars and dinners to trade sexual favors for legislative ones.

If Harvey Weinstein was Hollywood’s worst-kept secret, widespread harassment (and sometimes worse) is Brussels’ worst-kept secret.

Regular readers of Brussels Playbook and EU Confidential podcast listeners will know of our efforts to shine a spotlight on inappropriate and illegal behavior.

These are often terrifying experiences for the victims, and are complicated issues to report for reasons of privacy and natural justice.

So far 127 women and 11 men have told Playbook their stories and we will continue to actively report this issue, publishing articles as appropriate. You can tell your story confidentially here. Here is the story of one woman who says she was raped by her colleague at the European Parliament.

Allegations made to Playbook include EU work contracts offered in exchange for sex, young women being sent to bars and dinners to trade sexual favors for legislative ones, a staffer asked to book prostitutes for their MEP boss, women bailed up in toilets at work functions, and men bullied, then sent on paid leave.

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H/t reader kevin a.