Femicide is the killing of a woman because she is a woman. It occurs across all levels of society, independent of origin, education, or religion. Femicide is not simply homicide, but rather a form of gender-based violence, which is in turn an expression of patriarchal power structures. 

When discussing femicide, it is important to acknowledge the broader, systemic, and political nature of these crimes. That is why we also refer to femicide as feminicide, a term coined by Mexican anthropologist and feminist Marcela Lagarde, which highlights the role of societal structures and the failure of the state to protect women and address the violence against them. 

Neighborhood Feminists uses these two terms interchangeably; we believe it is important to make clear both the gendered nature of these crimes and their context so we can best tackle the issue. 

Why does this matter?

Words matter. Calling such an act of violence femicide and feminicide makes it clear that it is not a “crime of passion”, a “family tragedy”, or “relationship drama” as often described in the media. Feminicide is structural violence against women. It is rooted in gender inequality that is enabled in our society due to patriarchal norms and the lack of effective state-level responses. Naming it shows the motive and patterns.

Femicide in the Netherlands 

Some view the Netherlands as a progressive country where gender equality is largely achieved. In fact, the Netherlands has continued to lose ground, dropping 15 places down to position 43 on the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Index. 

The statistics on femicide in the Netherlands serve as another harsh reminder of the difference between Dutch reality and perceptions. According to official CBS homicide data, around 40 women are killed a year in the Netherlands, which means that every 1 in 8 days a woman is killed. This is higher than in a number of other European countries. 

The Eurostat, European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) report on gender-based violence for 2025 has yet to be released. But their 2024 report underscored persistent, significant patterns in the Netherlands:

  • 41% of all women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives. For 7%, the violence was structural.
  • 1 in 3 women has experienced sexual violence in her lifetime.
  • Almost 1 in 6 women in the Netherlands has experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or ex-partner.
  • 1 in 3 women has experienced psychological violence by a (former) partner.
  • 1 in 5 women has experienced physical and/or sexual domestic violence in her lifetime.
  • More than a quarter of women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 by someone other than a (former) partner.
  • 1 in 14 women in the Netherlands has been raped since the age of 15 by someone who was not a partner.
  • 1 in 5 women has experienced stalking.
  • More than 40% of women in the Netherlands have experienced sexual harassment at work in their lifetime.

Important to note: femicide is not an immigration issue. Women are primarily murdered by those close to them. Over half of the women killed in the Netherlands (54%) are killed by (ex)intimate partners, while 1 in 5 (20%) are killed by another family member. This problem is embedded in our society, in the Netherlands as elsewhere.

In July 2025, after two women were killed in rapid succession — a 39-year-old shot by her ex-partner in Gouda and a 38-year-old woman allegedly killed by her boyfriend in Vlijmen. This triggered a Femicide March, which took place in Rotterdam and was attended by over 1,000 people. Led by the Dolle Mina activist group, the protesters demanded a legal definition of femicide, stronger protections for women, and comprehensive structural reforms.

In August, the murder of 17-year-old Lisa in Duivendrecht biking home at night sparked deep outrage, highlighting once again the pervasive lack of safety women face in public spaces. In response, led by Danique de Jong activists launched the grassroots campaign “Wij eisen de nacht op” (“We claim the night”). The campaign quickly spread nationwide, raising over €500,000.  The crowdfunding was used to place bold graphic messaging like “Laat vrouwen veilig thuiskomen” (“Let women get home safely”) on billboards, digital screens, and highway signs across the country. Nightlife venues, municipalities, feminist groups, and thousands of citizens joined in, greatly increasing the campaign’s visibility. 

The message was clear: Dutch society will no longer accept the unsafe reality women endure, and collectively demands structural measures to prevent femicide.

What is the Dutch government currently doing about femicide?

Since June 2024, the Netherlands addresses femicide primarily through its ‘Stop Femicide!’ action plan, which aims to prevent lethal violence against women by focusing on early detection of warning signs, improving interventions, strengthening professional training, and expanding research and data collection. The action plan, passed in Parliament (over the objections of extreme right parties FvD and PVV), stresses coordinated action between police, justice authorities, social services, municipalities, and bereaved families. It also aligns with EU directives on combating violence against women. 

Following calls to criminalize the act –  and criticism raised by Amnesty International among others – the government announced in October 2024 that it would introduce a bill making psychological violence a punishable offence. This includes coercive control and intimate terrorism, both recognized major risk factors for femicide.

The action plan is not legally binding, however. Furthermore, there is still no formal legal definition of femicide in the Netherlands. This means any femicide is prosecuted under general homicide laws, rather than as a distinct form of violence, which impacts sentencing. What we don’t name, we cannot prevent.

There is also no central national body responsible for coordinating feminicide prevention.  Civil society organizations have highlighted persistent problems due to fragmented data collection, uneven municipal practices, and insufficient structural funding, including for shelters. As such, Netherlands-based experts. activists, and the CEDAW‑Network, a coalition of women’s rights organizations, emphasize that the ‘Stop Femicide’ plan merely highlights issues, and falls short of actual substantive change. 

Without applying systematic learning from past cases, structural funding, national coordination, targeted prevention, and a legal definition that names femicide for what it is, reduction in femicide is delayed, or made impossible. Though the Netherlands has taken steps towards tackling femicide, its reliance on a gender-neutral, non-binding, and underfunded framework means women remain insufficiently protected. 

With a woman killed every eight days, the urgency for concrete, enforceable action could not be clearer.

What can we do about it?

There are several measures we can already and should take as individuals and as a society to help tackle the issue. 

At the individual level

We can further educate ourselves on femicide and learn to more readily recognize  red flag behaviors to better prevent violence and femicide from happening in the first place. 

Signals can include:

  • controlling behavior 
  • threats, intimidation, isolation 
  • escalating partner violence, and 
  • attempts to track or control movement 

People close to the victim may notice them changing their behavior or isolating themselves as signs of an unhealthy situation that may escalate later. Paying attention to patterns matters, because early recognition saves lives.

Therefore, it is also important that we openly talk to each other and not hesitate to have difficult conversations with a friend or family member who may be in an unsafe situation. 

Some additional resources on domestic abuse and femicide can be found below.

At the societal level 

Act4respect reinforces the reality: despite women gaining more rights in the Netherlands, norms and values ​​don’t always change accordingly. They explain that current media coverage on femicide in the Netherlands often reinforces gendered norms, placing the male perpetrator in a more forgiving light while underreporting the murder of the woman and narrowing her value to society to primarily motherhood or marriage. 

We need better media coverage. Media outlets and public discourse must address femicide and reject gender stereotypes that lead to and condone gender-based violence. 

Gender roles play a central role in the origins of abuse and feminicide; femicide is often employed as a drastic measure to reassert a perceived loss in masculinity and reinforce rigid gender norms and roles. Act4Respect advocates for effective prevention which includes addressing the prevailing gender norms among young people. 

We must reject harmful stereotypes and oppressive gender norms, as well as provide better education regarding relationship development and conduct, and healthy masculinity. Especially with the rise of online abuse and misogyny, education plays a crucial role in femicide prevention. 

To achieve this, we need better policies. 

  • The Netherlands needs a legal definition of femicide and a dedicated registry for systematic recording, analysis, as well as targeted policy responses 
  • They must make psychological violence a clearly prosecutable offence and operationalize it quickly
  • The government needs to establish a central body/national coordination for femicide with guaranteed funding to ensure consistent implementation across municipalities and provinces 
  • We need substantially more funding for resources, from domestic violence shelters (of which there are currently far too few) to recovery programs, to ensure women escaping violence have somewhere to go
  • We also need better education initiatives and policies. Current policies leave education content up to the individual school and municipality – but this is not enough to combat the explosive rise of toxic gender norms nor prevent femicide

Femicide is rooted in the system. It is the extreme outcome of a sexist, misogynistic patriarchal culture. In failing to protect women and address the violence against them, current policies and governmental responses enable this violence to keep happening. 

But femicide is preventable, together.

Resources

Talk to someone

If you need help, if you feel unsafe, or if you’re worried about someone close to you, you can contact:  

  • Veilig Thuis: National Domestic Violence, Child Abuse & Elderly Abuse Hotline (Dutch; English support may be possible)
  • Stichting Home Empowerment (SHE): domestic violence support and legal counseling (English support)
    • Tel: 020-846-99-43 | 06-38327893
    • Website
  • MIND Helpline: offers help, advice, and information for mental and social problems (Dutch; English support may be possible)

Shelter & further help

  • List of women’s shelters per municipality (In Dutch, translation possible)
  • Fier: national expertise and treatment center. They offer shelter, support, and treatment for violence in abusive relationships
  • Sterk Huis: Offers shelter, care, and treatment for victims of abuse, as well as training

Educational tools

  • Sterk Huis: information on domestic abuse and a 12-point red-flags list  (In Dutch, translation possible)  
  • Act4Respect: e-learning/training & G-word training: Attention to gender to prevent violence
    Stereotypical norms about masculinity and femininity often lead to transgressions and violence. Discover how you can help prevent gender violence in this course.

Sources

In English

EU Gender-Based Violence Survey
Dutch CEDAW Network: Shadow Report on Istanbul Convention
GREVIO: Evaluation Report on Istanbul Convention
NL Times: Femicide in the Netherlands
NL Times: nightlife and safety
OBCT
RAND: The femicide crisis

In Dutch

Amnesty International: Femicide not legally recognized in the Netherlands
Act4Respect article
Act4Respect gender norms and violence among youth
CBS
Rijksoverheid: Stop Femicide Actieplan
Rijksoverheid: Psychological violence
Tweede Kamer: Aanpak stalking