Toespraak van staatssecretaris Van Rijn ter afsluiting van de conferentie over de opvolging van de Istanbul Conventie

Toespraak | 13-04-2016

Ladies en gentlemen,

Violence affects a great many women. But it is not just women who suffer.
The people around them suffer too. Ultimately, violence against women poisons the whole society and tears it apart.
 
That’s why we need to take action. That’s why we have to keep working to end violence against women. Sexual and domestic violence against women isn’t a private issue. It’s a political and social issue that affects us all.

This isn’t the first time I’ve said this. I made the same appeal at the third World Conference of Women’s Shelters, here in The Hague. A conference that resulted in a Call for Action. A call to work together to make shelters available for women who are victims of domestic violence. To work together to empower women to rebuild their lives. And above all, to work together to end violence against women.

As we all know, our politicians and parliaments bear a special responsibility here. Parliaments can ensure that vigorous policies are in place to combat violence against women and domestic violence. Both at national level and internationally.

The Istanbul Convention is crucial in this respect, because it indicates what measures countries can and should take. From prevention to legislation. So I’m delighted that the Dutch parliament and the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have joined forces to organise this conference.

I’d like to tell you briefly how the ratification process went in the Netherlands. During the debate, our parliament stressed the importance of making progress on this issue.

Every year in the Netherlands around 220,000 adults are subjected to serious, sustained violence in their homes. And many adults experience isolated incidents of domestic violence. These are shocking figures.

During the parliamentary debate on the Convention, all the relevant themes were addressed: such as prevention, safe shelters, good legislation, dealing with offenders, online safety, female genital mutilation and involving men in this issue.

The Convention was adopted by a large majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In accordance with article 75, the Convention came into effect for the European part of the Netherlands on 1 March 2016.

So the Convention now applies to the European part of the Netherlands. But the Kingdom also has a Caribbean part: the islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba.

That’s why I’ve asked the Youth Care and Family Supervision Agency for the Caribbean Netherlands to draw up a plan on how best to implement various umbrella measures in that part of the country.

The aim is to establish an easy-access reporting system, safe shelters and ongoing public information campaigns. We will be discussing how to carry out these measures with the relevant island authorities.

But let’s return to the European Netherlands for now. What will the Convention mean for Dutch policy? What is the added value for our country?

Efforts to combat violence against women and domestic violence have now been firmly anchored in a number of laws. I’m working with various ministries on the Convention’s three themes: prevention, protection and punishment.

My counterpart at the Ministry of Justice is pressing for an effective approach to tackling offenders.
My counterpart at the Ministry of Education has organised a peer-to-peer campaign to strengthen young people’s sexual resilience.
My counterpart at the Ministry of Social Affairs has an action plan to promote self-determination, not only for women, but also for men. Our aim here is to prevent forced marriage and abandonment.
I myself am responsible for shelters and care, and for coordinating policy as a whole.

Local efforts are also extremely important, which is why municipalities have been given a central role in tackling violence against women and domestic violence. And, of course, the Convention also applies to them. So I’ll be making sure that municipalities know how it will impact their policy.

Many of the Convention’s measures already tie in with municipal policy.
For instance, municipalities are responsible for providing shelters. This morning you visited a women’s shelter of de Wende Safe shelters for women can save lives.

Anyone who experiences domestic violence can call a free number to reach a national network with 26 regional offices. We have called it Veilig Thuis, which means Safe Home. Anyone can call this number for advice. Or to report suspicions of domestic violence and child abuse. Safe Home arranges for help to be provided as quickly as possible. It works together with the police, judicial authorities, family doctors and local social workers.

Municipalities are also working to set up a nationwide network of centres for victims of acute sexual violence. Victims can turn to such centres for a medical examination, help in reporting an offence to the police, forensic analysis, support and after-care.

The Convention’s emphasis on gender makes it especially valuable. Dutch policy is gender-neutral, because it aims to help all victims. But gender certainly plays an important role in the origin and continuation of domestic violence. So it’s crucial to take it into account when making and implementing policy.

At present, municipalities know too little about the impact of gender on approaches to tackling domestic violence. The police, the Public Prosecution Service and the Safe Home network also need to know more. So I am working with my counterparts at the education and justice ministries to increase their understanding of this issue.

Ladies and gentlemen, violence against women is not just a Dutch problem. It’s a global problem. This is why the UN has included gender equality and ending violence against women and girls in its Sustainable Development Goals.

So it’s crucial that we work together, in the EU, the Council of Europe and other international fora. In a rapidly globalising world it’s more important than ever to learn from one another and share our experiences.

We must work together to ensure that women are safe everywhere. Not just in their own countries, but wherever they go – refugees and migrants deserve equal protection. Because everyone has the right to a safe home.

Thank you.