FIVE THINGS ABOUT FRENCH WOLF WHISTLES

1 THEY WILL SOON BE ILLEGAL

Men who wolf whistle or are aggressively lecherous toward women on French streets face fines under a new law to be passed next year, the government confirmed Monday. Marlene Schiappa, 34, the country’s gender equality minister, said workshops would be held across France to discuss the bill.

2 THE PRESIDENT WOULDN’T WHISTLE

Emmanuel Macron, the president, said he wants to tackle male attitudes in public spaces and will send community police to enforce the new law. He also said he wants to revoke the French Legion of Honour award that was bestowed upon Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of rampant sexual abuse.

3 PIGS WHISTLE

Announcement of the new bill came amid heated debate in France over what constitutes harassment, prompted by Weinstein’s alleged sexual assaults on a string of actresses. French women flooded Twitter at the weekend to recount their experiences of being harassed at work. Some 86,000 posted comments under the hashtag #balancetonporc or “squeal on your pig,” launched by Sandra Muller, a French journalist, who recounted how her former boss had commented on her breasts. The hashtag quickly became the top trending hashtag in France.

4 THERE’S A TASK FORCE

A task force composed of five MPs has been asked to work with police and magistrates to come up with a definition of harassment that can be enforced by officers on the streets.

5 THERE HAS BEEN OUTRAGE

Last month, there was outrage in France after prosecutors decided to charge a 28-year-old man — who had sex with an 11-year-old girl — with sexual abuse of a minor, instead of rape, because she had followed him without physical threats.