Hotline launched for Amsterdam students who feel unsafe after violent incidents

Amsterdam student union ASVA opened a hotline for unsafe situations "on and around student campuses". This follows a series of violent incidents in a short tie, especially around the Spinoza Campus in Bijlmer, spokesperson Alba van Vliet said to NH Nieuws.

A 35-year-old woman was recently stabbed to death near the Spinoza Campus. Two students were pulled off their bikes. And another student was hit by a stray bullet while she was watching television in her room, according to ASVA.

"Every student in Amsterdam has to be safe in her or his home. And we are getting more and more signals that this is currently not the case", Van Vliet said to the broadcaster. According to her, the problems are not limited to student flats in Bijlmer. The union is also getting reports from students in Amsterdam-Noord who feel unsafe. ASVA has no overarching picture of the student safety situation in the city, which is why the union launched a hotline.

AVSA hopes that the hotline will lead to action by student housing provider Duwo, the police and the municipality of Amsterdam. "Duwo is now deploying guards at Spinozahof, but we also see that those involved mainly point to each other when something needs to be done. Moreover, Dowu says that students should become streetwise. Then you're not taking the problems seriously", Van Vliet said. "It is time that the parties involved take responsibility and come up with structural solutions: better security, but also good public transport supply. So that you do not have to walk in the dark for 15 minutes to get home."

In 2016 ASWA also launched a hotline following a series of incidents on Sparklerweg in Amsterdam. 52 reports came in over a short period. In some locations this led to camera surveillance and improved street lighting.