Just about BEAU last night

There they were, two of the undoubtedly tenfold total of young women, girls back then, who came out battered and bruised from the The Voice adventure.

They started off hesitantly. Truly willing to talk, but that lid on the can of worms... That was heavy. Beau guided them through the poison chalice. ‘You shouldn't feel guilty. He is a predator.’ However, he did ask them to come forward with their story. Because without facts, you're nowhere. And that was scary. Terrifying. Because shouldn't she have hit the brakes earlier? But it's not that easy. It starts innocently. Whether Jeroen could take a picture of her, just on that big stage of The Voice. She had proudly shown it to her mother at home. And when he also texted to ask if she had gotten home safely, everyone was delighted. Including her mother. Such an involved and kind man. And that in the TV world.

It turned out to be just the beginning. Texts, jokes, comments, culminating in the question of whether she would like to see the ‘studios’ upstairs. Of course, the studios weren't there. But hands that moved to places where they shouldn't have been, were certainly there.

Do you dare to talk? To approach the editor-in-chief? The director? She missed the safety and remained on the roller coaster called The Voice. ‘Once you step into that roller coaster, you can no longer do anything or decide. The only thing you can do is scream.’

Suddenly, there were two special girls (I still know them as a viewer) who were both trying to shake off ten kilos of secrets. The small layer of protection broke, and there were the tears. For themselves, for each other, and especially for the others. Because there were many more, but not everyone dares to speak.

Beau believed that the ‘come-with-me-to-the-studios incident’ was a case of assault. But then the strict lawyer intervened. No, no, assault was legally something else. You really needed to come up with better evidence. Then followed a list of what your case must meet if you really want to accuse someone of assault. I thought only: and now no one dares to say anything anymore. Because why would you create a bombshell in the cesspool if it yields you nothing but a bath full of shit? Thank God we found a response on Twitter from Christian Flokstra, who wrote that grabbing breasts/buttocks or genitals is actually assault (246 Sr) and is punishable, and that no violence or coercion is needed for that. If there is a lawyer in the room: I would love to write together with you how to file a report of assault and go through that step by step.

And as one of the candidates wisely put it: let us gather all the raindrops and together become a downpour.

Every story makes a difference. And if you don't dare for yourself, think of your little sister, your niece, your neighbor girl. They could be the next. You can stop it.

Image: Episode Beau