Emotion and struggle for control in parliamentary debate on femicide, under the watchful eye of relatives

The House of Representatives discussed femicide on Monday evening, following a motion from GroenLinks-PvdA MP Songül Mutluer. The debate drew an unusually large audience: the gallery was filled with relatives of women murdered by their partners or ex-partners. "I can hardly express in words how moved I am to see so many people," said Mutluer. The hall was too small to accommodate everyone.

Mutluer called femicide "the most predictable murder," because it's almost always preceded by a pattern of control, stalking, and threats. In her memo, she advocates for a national action plan and greater cooperation between the police, the Public Prosecution Service, municipalities, and ministries.

VVD MP Bente Becker supported the call for a national coordinator. Faith Bruyning (NSC) and Sarah Dobbe (SP) also supported the call for more direction. State Secretary Nicki Pouw-Verweij (Long-Term Social Care), however, emphasized that she already sees herself as a coordinating minister. "It's my job to connect and motivate," she said, without wanting to preempt the potential appointment of a government commissioner. Becker stood her ground: "It's not about raising awareness, but about someone who drives this full-time."

Police capacity as a bottleneck

However, these substantive ambitions collide with a practical problem: scarce police capacity. Socialist Party member Sarah Dobbe pointed to a looming shortage of €86 million by 2026. "We can pass laws, but without enough officers, it won't work," Becker warned.

State Secretary Arno Rutte (Justice and Security) tempered expectations: "The caretaker cabinet cannot promise additional funding with only 32 seats in Parliament, and moreover, additional funding does not automatically result in more staff."

The debate took a political turn when SGP member Diederik van Dijk stated that certain groups are "overrepresented" in sex crimes. Dobbe tried to forestall this: "I was afraid this would become the discussion of the evening, while women are at risk because we're not taking concrete measures."

After Van Dijk, PVV member Emiel van Dijk cited figures to label femicide an "immigrant problem." D66 member Hanneke van der Werf drew a clear line: "Do you also show up at debates about Andrew Tate and online hate campaigns? Or do you only consider femicide important if you can turn it into an immigration policy?"

The debate threatened to be hijacked when DENK MP Ismail El Abassi started naming PVV members linked to sex crimes. Becker reminded them that the urgency doesn't stem from party politics: "What does the PVV say to families who lost their daughter to 80 stab wounds if they act as if there was only one cause?"

Mutluer concluded the cultural joust with a personal intervention: "For years, I was taught that femicide was a cultural phenomenon, until I spoke with relatives of Gea, Sanne, and Lisa. Each time, a man who felt entitled to power. This happens at all levels of society, regardless of race or background."

Concrete measures

Mutluer called for special attention to non-fatal strangulation: women who experience this are seven times more likely to be murdered by the same partner later in life, and therefore she wants to explicitly include it in the law as aggravated assault. State Secretary for Justice and Security Arno Rutte supported pilot projects and improved training for police and emergency services, but warned that establishing evidence remains difficult in cases like strangulation.

A recurring issue is that police, healthcare providers, and municipalities often don't share reports because privacy legislation hinders them. Becker therefore submitted a motion to review the legislation. "The safety of women must outweigh the privacy of perpetrators." Pouw-Verweij promised to inform Parliament about a joint reporting system by the end of 2025.

Despite the political clashes, there was one shared feeling in the room: the urgency for a practical approach. As Mutluer put it: "It's not about statistics or different cultures, but about women at all levels of society who deserve protection." The presence of so many bereaved families in the public gallery underscored that message.