Instead of getting government support, a 17-year-old Danish girl who was sexually attacked near a migrant asylum centre found herself facing prosecution after she used pepper spray to fend off her assailant.
The teenager told police she was walking through the Danish town of Sonderborg last Wednesday when an English-speaking man knocked her to the ground and tried to undress her. But she managed to quickly end the assault by whipping out her pepper spray and using it on him.
Despite her act of bravery in defending herself, authorities now say the young woman could face charges and a fine of 500 kroner for using the pepper spray.
"It is illegal to possess and use pepper spray, so she will likely be charged for that," local police spokesman Knud Kirsten told TV Syd.
The man who attacked the teen reportedly fled the scene of the crime and has yet to be charged. It is unclear if the man was an asylum seeker or refugee.
The Local reported that the case has "sparked a backlash among some Danes who point to increasing reports of sexual harassment in Sonderborg and other Danish cities." Some groups have reportedly extended their support, including financial assistance, to the luckless girl.
"Many readers wrote in the comments section on TV Syd's story about the incident that they would be willing to pay the girl's fine, which will most likely be 500 kroner ($72),'' said Kirsten.
Recently, stories about rapes made big headlines in Sonderberg after several women there reported feeling harassed by the aggressive behavior of some male asylum seekers and refugees at the local asylum centre.
Measures have been considered and implemented in attempts to prevent the same from happening.
A nightclub in the city is also now precluding guests from entering if they can't speak Danish, English or German. Other nightclubs in Denmark are reportedly considering similar measures, WND reported.
The language requirements have reportedly been put in place in several establishments in the wake of reports of "foreign men in groups" harassing female guests.
''We have some rules so that our guests can have a pleasant experience and feel safe," owner Tom Holden, owner of Buddy Holly, a night club in Soderborg told TV2, adding that it has been the club's policy for years.
Meanwhile, Denmark's parliament has voted in favour of seizing asylum seekers' assets in a controversial bid to reduce the number of migrants moving there, Mirror UK reported.
Under a new law, officials will have the power to search migrants for valuables and take cash and possessions worth more than around £1,000 to help pay for their stay.
Only wedding rings and items of sentimental value will be exempt.
Asylum seekers will also have to wait three years before family members can join them in the country, instead of the current one year, the paper said.
