Hairdressers asked to help identify domestic violence victims
PvdA parliamentarian Kirsten van den Hul wants hairdressers and beauticians to help identify domestic violence. Employees in these industries must learn how to identify and deal with signs of domestic abuse as part of her training, Van den Hul, herself a victim of domestic violence, said in a proposal she will present to Prime Minister on Thursday - International Women's Day, AD reports.
Her proposal is titled 'Violence behind the front door: the shame is over". According to Van der Hul, many people do not know what to do when they notice bruises. And hairdressers and beauticians often see these kinds of injuries during the course of their work.
The reluctance among these professional groups to do something about the signals they see must by remedied with training on how to broach the subject and refer their clients to care providers, Van der Hul believes. This will help remove the powerlessness these professionals feel. According to her, these professional groups are enthusiastic about this plan.
The current Dutch government does not have a specific Minister responsible for tackling domestic violence. This responsibility is fragmented across five departments. Van der Hul hopes that Rutte will appoint someone to coordinate this approach.