Violence against women and domestic violence in relation to the Istanbul Convention

• Author: Vegter, Marlies
• Pages: 70-72

70

10 Violence against women and domestic violence in relation to the Istanbul

Convention

10.1 General (legal) context

10.1.1 Surveys and reports on issues of violence against wome n and domestic violence

There are many surveys and reports on violence against women and domesti c violence.

The report that the Dutch Government prepared for CEDAW in 2014 contai ned 19 pages

on the subject (including paragraphs on the abuse of children and elderly people).190

Following the report, CEDAW asked the Dutch Government for a more systematic collection

of data on all forms of violence against women, disaggregated by age and the relationship

between the perpetrator and the victim, as well as on protection measures, prosecuti ons

and sanctions imposed on perpetrators, in p articular in the municipalities of Bonaire, Sint

Eustatius and Saba. The Network UN Women’s Convention191 submitted a so-called

shadow report on 20 September 2016, in which it pointed out that, although the

Government did take further measures, the statistics are still far from complete and a

concrete time path for improvement in this respect is lacking. The Network mentions that

the NGO shadow report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the written

contribution of the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights to GREVIO also criticise in detail

the lack of systematic data collection in the Netherlands on all forms of violence against

women.

In September 2018 the Dutch Government submitted a 62-page report ab out the

implementation of the Istanbul Convention.192 It mentions in ter alia the following:

- The Code for domestic violence an d child abuse193 is a roadmap for professionals to

help them to decide whether they must officially report suspicions of domestic

violence or child abuse. The report concludes that the code is quite well known but

is not yet applied by all organisations. Professionals also indicate that they would like

to receive training on interviewing/counselling techniques.

- Safe at Home.194 This is the centre for advice on and for reporting of domestic

violence and child abuse. The workers of Safe at Home answer questions, give advice

and examine together with aid workers what professional hel p is needed.

- The formation of a National Network of Care and Punishment,195 in which the judicial

parties who are involved i n domestic violence and chil d abuse participate, such as

the prosecution service, the police, the Council for Justice, the Rehabilitation Council

and the National Network of Safe at Home Centres.196 The aim of thi s network is to

support professionals working with families and victims of violence.

190 Netherlands, Sixth periodic report of the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning the implementation of the

International convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (2008-2013),

September 2014, available at:

https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/brieven_regering/detail?id=2014Z18983&did=2014D38528.

191 https://www.vn-vrouwenverdrag.nl/.

192 Rijksoverheid, Rapportage van de Nederlandse overheid over de uitvoering van het verdrag van de Raad

van Europa inzake het voorkomen en bestrijden van geweld tegen vrouwen en huiselijk geweld (het

verdrag van Istanbul, (Report of the Dutch Government on the implementation of the Council of Europe

Convention on preventing and combating domestic violence and violence against women), 2018. Available

at: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2018/09/01/rapportage-over-het-de-uitvoering-

van-het-verdrag-van-istanbul-voorkomen-en-bestrijden-van-geweld-tegen-vrouwen-en-huiselijk-geweld.

193 Meldcode huiselijk geweld en kindermishandeling.

194 Veilig Thuis.

195 Landelijk Netwerk Zorg en Straf huiselijk geweld en kindermishandeling.

196 Landelijk Netwerk Veilig Thuis.