Parliament, Amsterdam Council push tougher measures against violence toward women
A broad majority of political parties in the Tweede Kamer and Amsterdam city council are supporting new measures to prevent violence against women following recent high-profile crimes, including the murder of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude.
In Amsterdam, the city council approved a 6 million euros safety package that includes prevention programs, support services, and a police platform specializing in violence against women.
Mayor Femke Halsema said it is “a first overview” and stressed that measures will be prioritized in public spaces. She rejected claims that recent crimes could have been prevented solely through better public-space safety: “These acts can happen anywhere,” including workplaces, clubs, or crowded events such as Koningsdag.
Nationally, a D66-initiated plan called “Stop Violence Against Women,” signed by D66, VVD, GroenLinks-PvdA, and NSC, proposes 18 measures to curb domestic violence and femicide.
Hanneke van der Werf of D66 said, “The perpetrator is usually their partner or ex-partner and that is very complicated to address. We have to do much more.”
The measures include mandatory reporting by professionals, better training for judges, police, and social workers, easier police access to homes, and 800 additional women’s shelters.
Experts caution that mandatory reporting may deter victims. Pauline Aarten of Fonds Slachtofferhulp (Victim Support Fund) said, “Victims are sometimes searching. If a healthcare provider must always make a report, it can scare them. Think of partners facing violence who fear their children will be taken away.” Voluntary conversations can encourage victims to seek help.
The initiative responds to alarming statistics: in the Netherlands, a woman is killed every eight days. Van der Werf added, “It is remarkable that in the Netherlands, you can report multiple times and yet no single person is engaged with your case. Women signal danger at various moments, but they are not adequately or decisively helped.”
Reporting by ANP and NL Times
