The murder of Lisa from Abcoude in August sent shockwaves through the Netherlands. Women (and men) across the country took to the streets to demand their safety in a national campaign to “reclaim the night.” Unfortunately, it has become clear in recent months that girls and women are not only at risk when cycling home after a night out.
On Sept. 7, a 53-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Groningen. In Gouda in July, 39-year-old Joewela was shot dead in broad daylight, in front of her children, by her ex-partner. She had reported domestic violence a month earlier. Less than a month later, a 34-year-old woman was found dead in her home in Veldhoven, presumably killed by the father of her three children.
According to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), a total of 41 women were murdered in 2023. In more than half of the cases, the (ex-)partner was the suspected perpetrator. This makes the killing of women—femicide—a structural social problem. What is more, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the registration and definition of femicide in the Netherlands is inadequate: we know how many women are murdered, but the systematic recording of underlying factors—such as the relationship between perpetrator and victim, motive, or previous signs of violence—is often still lacking.
Recognizing Patterns
Much could be learned from the United Kingdom's approach to tackling this issue, not least the example of Domestic Homicide Review. After a domestic homicide, authorities routinely investigate how agencies were involved, what signals were missed, and how collaboration can be improved. This is not to assign blame—that is the responsibility of the justice system—but to systematically learn from mistakes and recognize patterns.
Hundreds of such reviews have been conducted in the United Kingdom since 2011. A national database allows researchers and policymakers to identify trends. RAND Europe and Ipsos UK, commissioned by the Home Office (the ministry responsible for domestic security and policing), coded hundreds of reviews and made them searchable in this database, revealing patterns—such as the role of mental health problems among offenders and poor collaboration between agencies.
Our analysis revealed that almost half of the offenders (49 percent) had been diagnosed with mental health problems, that more than six in ten struggled with alcohol problems, and that a similar proportion used drugs. It is also striking that domestic violence occurs relatively often when the victim and perpetrator were in a caregiving relationship. These findings led to calls in the United Kingdom for systematic screening for domestic violence within mental health care, addiction treatment, and caregiving settings.
Portugal and New Zealand also now have central committees that systematically investigate domestic violence and femicide and widely disseminate recommendations.
Domestic violence occurs relatively often when the victim and perpetrator were in a caregiving relationship.
Fragmented Data
What can the Netherlands learn from this? To start, authorities must provide a clear definition of femicide, collect data, identify trends, and develop targeted policies based on these findings. Only if femicide is clearly defined and systematically recorded can reliable lessons be learned.
The Netherlands should also consider establishing a national reporting centre and a central database, without which there will be insufficient insight into what can be learned. The fragmentation of reporting centres and support organizations also undermines the data. The United Kingdom's experience demonstrates that national consolidation is essential.
Effective follow-up is also crucial. Recommendations too often disappear into a drawer without any checks to ensure that agencies act on them. Therefore, a Dutch system must provide clear follow-up actions from the outset, with accountability and oversight, so that recommendations are actually implemented.
Seizing the Moment
Implementing such a system will not directly prevent femicide. But without systematically learning from these tragedies, every murder remains an isolated incident and no policy can be developed to combat the wider trend.
The actions of women and men reclaiming the night and demonstrating against femicide are a sign of how much this issue resonates with the Dutch public. Policymakers must seize the moment to channel this sentiment and implement structural change. A national system for tracking domestic violence could be a crucial step in exposing patterns, improving cooperation, and thus reducing the likelihood of recurrence.
Versions of this article were originally published in Dutch by Het Parool and Binnenlands Bestuur.
