Justice minister considers legalizing pepper spray for women following teen’s death

The justice minister, David van Weel, is looking into the possibility of making it legal for women to carry pepper spray so they can defend themselves if attacked on the street. The caretaker VVD minister said this during the weekly question time when the death of 17-year-old Lisa, who was violently murdered on August 20, was discussed.

Derk Boswijk of the CDA said the streets need to become safer for women and girls but admitted he does not expect this to happen instantly. For this reason, he is asking the minister to allow the use of pepper spray, as is permitted in other European countries.

The Weapons and Ammunition Act currently prohibits this. The MP knows women in his circle who carry the self-defense tool despite the ban. “Because at the moment, there is no other option.

Van Weel added that this is not a long-term solution to the issue. “But I can imagine that there are women who would like to have at least something to defend themselves as a last resort,” he said. He will look into whether this can be made possible “in a simple, quick way.”

During the debate, MPs expressed their outrage over Lisa’s death. The 17-year-old was stabbed to death in Duivendrecht while cycling back from Amsterdam city center to her home in Abcoude. “Almost every week a woman is murdered, and this summer even several times a week. These are the terrible low points of a bigger problem,” said Songül Mutluer of GroenLinks-PvdA.

She, along with other MPs, believes that responsibility should rest with a single minister, who should also have the authority to intervene. Among others, Laurens Dassen of Volt called for more attention to be given to social conduct in education.