How safe are women?
Month: October 2025
On August 20, 2025, 17-year-old Lisa from Amsterdam was cycling home in Abcoude. She never made it. On her way, she was murdered. Two days later, a young man — a 22-year-old asylum seeker — was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted rape, and rape.
This horrifying event reignited a heated public debate — not only about immigration and whether migrants pose a greater threat than non-migrants, but also about the broader issue of women’s safety.
Domestic violence is often underestimated, yet it is a critical factor when trying to understand violence that can affect the workplace. Before turning to that connection, however, we must first explore a more fundamental question: how safe — or unsafe — are women in the Netherlands today?
Homicide in the Netherlands
Each year in the Netherlands, between 120 and 140 people die as a result of homicide. The gender distribution is relatively consistent: roughly two-thirds of the victims are men, one-third are women.
- 2022: 142 victims – 95 men, 48 women
- 2023: 125 victims – 84 men, 41 women
- 2024: 120 victims – 76 men, 44 women
It’s important to note that this represents a sharp decline over the past 20 years. Between 2000 and 2004, the annual number of victims ranged between 230 and 250, with an average of 74 women per year. Since 2016, this decline has levelled off, and the numbers have remained fairly stable.
Violence: A Persistent and Underestimated Issue
Interpersonal violence, including abuse by (ex-) partners, family members, or others in a victim’s immediate environment, remains a significant threat to safety and health worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2019, approximately 475,000 people globally died from interpersonal violence. This accounted for 28% of all injury-related deaths and around 8% of all deaths that year.
These figures include only well-documented forms of violence, such as homicide and sexual assault. Other forms — such as partner violence and child abuse — are often underreported and therefore not fully captured.
Femicide and Domestic Violence
In Nederland werden in 2024 in totaal 44 vrouwen door moord of doodslag om het leven gebracht:
- 52% were killed by a (former) partner
- 20% by another family member
In 97% of cases, a suspect was identified
Perpetrators Are Mostly Men
- For female victims, the perpetrator is most often a partner, ex-partner, or family member.
- For male victims, the situation is more diffuse: 32% were killed by an acquaintance and 11% were linked to criminal activity or retribution.
Domestic Violence: A Stable but Serious Issue
According to the ‘Prevalentiemonitor Huiselijk Geweld en Seksueel Grensoverschrijdend Gedrag’ (CBS/WODC, 2024), 9% of Dutch people aged 16 and older reported experiencing domestic violence in the past year.
This figure has remained stable since 2020, with similar patterns in the nature of violence: psychological, physical, or stalking. The number of chronic victims (experiencing violence at least monthly) has also remained steady.
Sexual boundary-crossing behaviour has shown some fluctuations, partly driven by media coverage. For example, the public outcry around ‘The Voice of Holland’ led to a spike in reported cases in 2022. By 2024, figures had largely returned to 2020 levels. It is worth noting that response rates to such surveys are relatively low (25–30%), which may affect how representative the findings are. The Voice of Holland tot een piek in meldingen in 2022. In 2024 lagen de cijfers weer grotendeels op het niveau van 2020. Vermeldenswaard is dat de respons op dit soort onderzoeken relatief laag is (25–30%), wat invloed kan hebben op de representativiteit.
Domestic violence spilling over to the workplace
- Violent partners approaching victims at work (by phone, email, or in person),
- Stalking,
- Physical injuries affecting attendance or performance,
- Psychological consequences such as anxiety, PTSD, exhaustion, or loss of concentration,
- Absenteeism, tardiness, or leaving early, and in some cases even
- Job loss.
There is extensive research confirming this link. Estimates vary by country and research method, but the pattern is clear: domestic violence affects both safety and productivity at work.
- United States (NIJ Study): Of 2,400 employees surveyed across 39 states, 10% reported experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past year. Among those currently victimised, 18% reported experiencing some form of IPV at work.
- Canada (Survey 1): Roughly 50% had experienced IPV; of those, 83% said it affected them at work.
- Canada (Survey 2 – 8,429 respondents):
- 53.5% of victims experienced abuse at or near the workplace
- 38% said it impacted their ability to get to work
- 8.5% lost a job due to domestic violence
- United Kingdom (TUC):
- Over 1 in 10 said the abuse continued in the workplace
- Nearly 9 in 10 said it affected their performance
- Over half took time off or arrived late because of it
- Global (KPMG/Vodafone – 107 countries):
- 15% of women had experienced domestic abuse in the past 12 months
- Of these, 38% reported reduced productivity
- 22% sometimes missed work or took days off
Conclusion
What makes violence particularly devastating is that, in many cases, it is preventable.
At DANTES, we are committed to promoting and preserving a safe and productive workplace — a place where people not only feel safe, but are safe. We encourage employers, policymakers, and professionals across sectors to recognise the impact of domestic violence, not just on individuals, but on organisations and society as a whole.
