Netherlands: State protection against domestic violence for foreign citizens who are married to, or divorced from, a citizen of the Netherlands
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 28 October 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NLD40246.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Netherlands: State protection against domestic violence for foreign citizens who are married to, or divorced from, a citizen of the Netherlands, 28 October 2002, NLD40246.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4de8a.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on domestic violence and state protection in the Netherlands is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. Please find attached a general fact sheet produced by the Netherlands Department of Justice in March 2001 where the statutory framework with regard to domestic violence in the Netherlands is described.
The July 2001 Concluding Comments from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to country representatives of the Netherlands raises concerns about efforts to curb domestic violence in the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. Section 21 of the Concluding Comments states that immigrant, refugee and minority women suffer a combination of sexual and ethnic discrimination that leave them more vulnerable to violence (UN July 2001). The Committee expressed concern "at the limited information on [the] freedom [of women of ethnic and minority communities] from violence, including...domestic violence..." (ibid., section 23). The Committee also encouraged the government of the Netherlands to increase its financial support to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (ibid., section 43), where "gender equality is far from being achieved" (ibid., section 42).
Response to Information Request NLD33240.E of 30 November 1999 provides further information regarding protection available to women victims of domestic abuse.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
United Nations, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Twenty-fifth session, 2-20 July 2001. n.d. Concluding Comments on the Consideration of Reports of States Parties: The Netherlands. (Advance unedited version.) Attachment
Netherlands. March 2001. Fact Sheet: Domestic Violence. Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
NEXIS/LEXIS
Unsuccessful attempts to obtain information from: The Embassy of the Netherlands (Ottawa), The Federation of Shelters, TransAct
World News Connection (WNC)
Internet sites, including:
Department of Justice (Netherlands)
Embassy of the Netherlands (Ottawa)
Europa
European Social Welfare Information Network
Ministry for Health, Welfare and Sport (Netherlands)
Netherlands Institute for Care and Welfare (NIZW)
The Federation of Shelters
TransAct
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE)
Women's International Network News
World Law Guide
Search engines, including:
Alta Vista
Google
