Two men will appear in court in Rotterdam next month charged with the new offence of street harassment, the public prosecution department confirmed on Friday.

One man faces multiple charges and the other one charge, the department said. It declined to say any more about the cases. According to local broadcaster RTV Rijnmond, four other cases are still being looked at by the public prosecutor.

It has been an offence in Rotterdam to sexually harass women by hissing, shouting at them or following them in public places since the beginning of this year. If found guilty the courts can fine the defendant up to €4,100 or sentence them to a maximum of three months in jail.

Amsterdam has also introduced new bylaws banning street intimidation but no-one has yet faced charges.

Research by Rotterdam council last year found that 94% of women aged 18 to 45 had experienced some form of intimidation, but 87% had never done anything about it.