Fewer reports of child, domestic abuse

The joint branches of Safe at Home received nearly 120,000 reports of suspected child abuse or domestic violence, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That was 8,000 fewer than in 2020. They did give advice to victims, bystanders, or professionals more often, namely 134,000 times, 12,000 times more than a year earlier.

Anyone who suspects child abuse or domestic violence and would like advice on these issues can turn to Safe at Home. The number of reports has been decreasing since 2019, while the advice given increased up to and including the first half of 2021, but fell again slightly in the second half.

CBS also included young people who received youth care in a closed institution in their findings. That figure was at 1,815 last year, 265 fewer than in the previous year. In total, almost 461,000 young people received some form of youth care in the past year. In the period between 2015 to 2019, approximately 2,500 young people were in a closed juvenile detention center every year. In 2020, that number fell to 2,080.

The figures on reports of child abuse and domestic violence show “that professionals, as well as those involved and bystanders, are increasingly finding their way to Safe at Home,” says Judith Kuypers, chair of the National Network Safe at Home. "It has a preventive effect if professionals and citizens call (anonymously) earlier for advice: assistance can be called in earlier and there is no need to report it.”

The two-year-old chat function for bystanders and those involved also means "easy extra access to Safe at Home,” according to the organization. Throughout the pandemic period, Safe at Home has done its best to draw attention to domestic violence and child abuse. 

As people in education and care providers working in neighborhood teams had much less of a direct view of abuse during the pandemic period, fewer reports were probably made, Safe at Home thinks.