Three underage boys will be questioned by police for inappropriately touching a minor in a Ghent public swimming pool, with employees pointing to a surge in similar incidents in recent months.
A lifeguard employed by the Lago Rozebroeken swimming complex intervened upon noticing the incident and alerted the authorities.
Prosecutors in East Flanders said they were looking into the suspected assault and that the three minors were set to be questioned as part of the investigation.
"We are still in the initial phase of the investigation," prosecutors told De Standaard, adding: "We are now going to see if there is camera footage on which the incident can be observed."
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The incident, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, is one of several instances of inappropriate touching, groping and sexual assault and harassment that have been reported in Flemish swimming pools.
Last summer, over a dozen people were blacklisted from swimming pools in Ghent and in Bevere, outside Antwerp, over instances of groping and harassment which ultimately prompted federal authorities to intervene.
But while pool staff report that the incidents are occurring with more frequency, one noted that the swimming complex's management would chide employees for alerting the authorities.
"The incidents involving attacks and assaults are piling up," one pool employee told De Standaard. "But when we call the police, we are sometimes reprimanded by managers."
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
