GroenLinks-PvdA Member of Parliament Songül Mutluer has submitted an initiative note to tackle femicide – the murder of women because of their gender – more effectively. In the Netherlands, an average of 43 women are murdered each year, often by a (former) partner. According to the note, warning signs such as stalking, psychological violence, and coercive control are often missed by police and support agencies, while femicide is considered the most predictable form of murder.

The note therefore proposes, among other things, to explicitly criminalize psychological violence and non-fatal strangulation, to increase the penalties for stalking, and to remove the complaint requirement. Cooperation between police, the Public Prosecution Service, and support organizations must also improve through a central registration system, and there is a call for the expansion of the National Expertise Center for Honor-related Violence with a femicide task.

Additionally, the note calls for attention to aftercare for victims and survivors, such as better psychological support and protection for children, and for awareness campaigns aimed at harmful gender norms, with special attention to youth and men. For implementation, approximately 30 million euros per year is structurally needed.

Mutluer emphasizes that femicide should no longer be dismissed as a “family drama,” but recognized as a structural societal problem deeply rooted in inequality between men and women.

(image: Stella Elhorst)