Conferentie Geweld tegen meisjes
Speech of Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin at the Conference on Violence against Girls, to be held on10 March 2009in Scheveningen (English only).
Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys,
With much pleasure I accepted the invitation to add a Dutch perspective to this conference. Home is a place where you are surrounded by the people you care most about, where you should feel the safest. Yet it turns out that for many, this is the least safe place to be. This problem concerns, also in a country like ours, ten of thousands of women and girls every year. Chances are that the person sitting next to you has been a victim as well. Research carried out in 2005 has shown that, on average, 20% of violent crimes reported to the police concern domestic violence.[1] It is therefore abundantly clear that the resolution of this problem deserves permanent political and social attention. Therefore I will share some insights about the fight against domestic violence, affecting girls and women in our country.
The government of the Netherlands has a clear responsibility where the safety of citizens is concerned, and this responsibility extends to situations that occur behind the front door. Our government takes this responsibility very seriously, as is shown by the continued implementation of the Action Plan to combat domestic violence – with special attention for children as witness of this violence – and the interdepartmental programme on honour-related violence. This policy works. Domestic and honour-related violence have become much more visible and more open to discussion. The taboo on these matters is starting disappear.
The Netherlands is also active at the international level. In our communications within the UN, and towards Member States, we emphasise that violence against women must be combated. Within the context of the campaign of the Council of Europe concerning violence against women in 2007, we organised a successful seminar on this issue. Nine European countries participated, exchanged information, and shared problems and solutions.
Dutch policy is structured on the basis of several key objectives, a few of which I would like to mention to you.
The first concerns research to gain more insight into the problems and to enable us to actively pursue policy on the basis of that insight. We wish to find out the nature and extent of domestic violence. The figures for the Netherlands date from 2007. A large-scale victim and offender investigation is currently underway and is expected to be concluded by the end of this year.
The next objective concerns the exchange of information. No single party is able to deal with domestic violence on its own. Care agencies, police, the municipality, etc – they must all cooperate and share knowledge and information. This does not always happen: sometimes considerations of privacy or professional confidentiality may prevent this communication. The Netherlands has developed special instruments that enable professionals to answer questions, in written form and online, on the subject of domestic violence. This may help the person that asked the question to determine whether or not to share information or data. In addition, domestic violence is not merely the problem of the offender alone. It is also the problem of the partner and the children, who must also be involved in the solution.
This is also one of the objectives of the Act on Temporary Restraining Orders [Wet tijdelijk huisverbod] which entered into force on 1 January. It authorises the mayor, in the event of a threat of domestic violence or child abuse, to ban the person who threatens his household member from entering his house for a short period of time. This not intended to end the relationship with the partner or the child, but to stop the violence by means of a time out, to organise care, and to realise a permanently safe situation. A total of 154 restraining orders have been imposed since 1 January. We assume that this measure will effectively contribute to the reduction of domestic violence.
There is furthermore a reporting code that will soon become mandatory under Dutch law. This does not concern mandatory reporting, as is the case in parts of the United States, but rather mandatory use of a reporting code in the event of domestic violence, child abuse, honour-related violence or a suspicion thereof. A reporting code is a phased plan which determines how a professional should deal with the identification and reporting of such cases. The code provides support during the process of deciding whether to report or not. Simultaneously with this mandatory reporting code we will start improving the expertise of professionals, a statutory right to report domestic violence will be introduced and we will open domestic violence reporting centres. There are currently not enough reports because the care provider does not know how to act. An example: we want alarm bells to start going off among doctors and nurses if a woman and her two children wind up in hospital covered in bruises and with a broken cheekbone. We want them to recognise the signals. They will have to contact a specialist colleague and, following an evaluation of the situation, file a report with the local Advice and Support Centre for Domestic Violence if necessary. This will mean that assistance will become available to this woman. Care providers should have sufficient expertise to recognise the signals, know that there is a right to report, and know where they can go.
With regard to children who have experienced the partner violence of their parents, we now know that girls run an increased risk of becoming victims themselves as adults. Boys, on the other hand, will tend to become offenders. The violence continues from generation to generation; the so-called transgenerational violence transfer.
Female circumcision is one of the most damaging forms of what is a matter of fact serious violence against girls.
Other countries pursue active policy as well to deal with the consequences of violence on children at an early stage. For some years now, ongoing discussions have been taking place – particularly in the US and Canada – concerning the question of how to deal with this large group of victims. In the meantime, various intervention and prevention programmes that are specifically intended for children that have witnessed violence have already been drawn up and implemented. One example in the US is the Domestic Violence Hotline, an Internet site for children that offers online help.[2] Since 2002, the English Adoption and Children Act provides that, in cases where a child protection measure is imposed, an assessment must be made as to whether a child has suffered from witnessing domestic violence.[3]
The primary focus of this conference is violence against women and girls. Dutch society has in recent years been shocked by a number of murders of young women, sometimes in the presence of children. The perpetrator was the (ex) partner, or a male family member, who was of the opinion that he needed to restore the family honour in this way.
In traditional migrant cultures, the decency of women is very highly valued, and within the family this is considered – and guarded – as the most precious possession. The chastity and unblemished reputation of women determine the value of the family honour, for which all family members are responsible, in particular the women and girls. This sense of responsibility unfortunately leads to situations in which individuals’ right to self-determination, especially that of women and girls, is systematically repressed. It may even result in violence. Such honour-related motives also play a role in forced marriages and female genital mutilation. What we want to clarify that acts of violence do not defend their honour but on the contrary dishonour the perpetrators.
Preventing these abuses, by changing the mentality, is in first instance the responsibility of the migrant community itself. This change must come from within. People must be able to discuss the problem. In the Netherlands, various NGO’s take this preventative task very seriously. The workshops to be held later today on honour-related violence and forced marriages will present some examples.
Earlier I referred to the introduction of a mandatory reporting code. This code also applies to honour-related violence. Specific methods for providing care to victims of honour-related violence are under development. Victims, both men and women, are of course provided with care and protection where necessary.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Many different parties can contribute, both nationally and internationally, to the combating of domestic violence, honour-related violence and forced marriages. This conference provides an excellent opportunity for such collaboration. The Netherlands Ministry of Justice will share its ideas, policy concepts and experiences with other countries. In June, the Council of Europe conference of the Ministers of Justice will deal with the same subject. I am curious to hear the recommendations from the workshops and the international experiences from which we can all learn.
Thank you!
[1] K.D. Lünneman, M.Y. Bruinsma; Geweld binnen en buiten; Aard, omvang en daders van huiselijk en publiek geweld in Nederland , WODC, 2005.
[2] Children exposed to intimate partner violence. An information packet (2002). National Resource Center On Domestic Violence, Pennsylvania.
[3] Nixon, K.L., Tutty, L.M., Weaver-Dunlop, G., Walsh, C.H.(2007). Do good intentions inbed good policy? A review of child protection policies to address intimate partner violence. Children and Youth Services Review, 29.