Kathalijne Buitenweg: ‘He didn’t get away with it’
In February 2020, an investigation by Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad showed that justice for victims of sexual violence is hard to find in The Netherlands: cases are sometimes put on hold for years, perpetrators are hardly prosecuted or receive minimal punishment. Kathalijne Buitenweg, parliamentarian of GroenLinks, asked questions in the Dutch House of Representatives to the Minister of Justice and Security in response to the report.
This was not the first time Buitenweg has fought for the interests of victims of sexual violence. For example, in September 2019, an additional 15 million was allocated to the vice squad on her proposal. Kathalijne Buitenweg spoke to foundation Cassandra about her work and her personal experiences as a victim of sexual assault.
Kathalijne Buitenweg by Zara’s Comics, for Stichting Cassandra
What is the current state of affairs regarding the adopted GroenLinks proposal? Do you have any insight into this?
“I know that Minister Grapperhaus is seriously occupied with this. He also thinks it is important, just like the police unions, that fewer sexual offence cases remain on the shelf. They were happy with the extra money. But it does take time to hire and train people.”
GroenLinks has already managed to secure an extra 15 million for the vice squad. Is this enough? Have higher amounts been calculated internally for the vice squad that would make society safer and have not yet been achieved?
“I have not yet seen such internal amounts. But no - of course the amount is not enough. For example, more money is needed for the Sexual Violence Centers. ”
“I think it is important to note that money for help and prosecution can also save money for society. I have spoken to people who can no longer work because they are so traumatized by what happened to them. Or because they are afraid that they will meet the people who have done something to them, without being punished for it. A good approach to sexual violence also saves social costs.”
What do you think should be given more attention in the sociopolitical debate on sexual offences?
“I think there is a lot of attention for help services, and little attention for prosecution. It is important for the victims healing process to make clear - through the law - that someone has been wronged. Sometimes bad things happen in life, and the government cannot always prevent that. But we can make it clear that it was wrong, and that it will not be without consequences. ”
“Sexual offences are very much seen as a separate category, even though there is a violation of law. It is true that it is incredibly difficult for the police to properly identify which offences have been committed. But the solution should not be to discourage reports, but to invest in ways to uncover the truth."
We understand that you will continue the debate with the Minister on sexual offences, the vice squad and victims. What can victims expect of GroenLinks in 2020 with regard to these topics?
"More money for Sexual Violence Centers, building more expertise with the police, specific expertise for sexual violence against children, etc. Also more attention for the entire process, so that reports are not left on the shelf, but go to the Public Prosecution Service.”
You yourself have been a victim of a sex offence crime. What was your reason for recognizing this publicly, and when did you first do it?
“I think it is important to make it clear that it is not something to be ashamed of, and that it can happen to anyone. I first referred to it during an interview on the occasion of my farewell as a Member of the European Parliament, in 2009. ”
How did you experience recognizing this publicly?
“I found that quite tense. I hadn't done it before because I didn't want it to be known while I was still politically active. Because it still makes you vulnerable. That is why I waited for my farewell as a Member of the European Parliament. Anyway, eight years later I went back into politics. :-)”
What were the positive and/or negative consequences?
“I still don't want to go into detail, but I can handle it well when I decide what I want to say about it, to whom and when. It is much more difficult when you are suddenly confronted with the subject. For example, during a debate about Robert M. [Editor's note: A pedophile who was convicted to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 60 children], I was unexpectedly overtaken by emotions. That was annoying. Fortunately, my CDA colleague Madeleine van Toorenburg helped me then.”
Would you be able to tell us about any experiences you have had with police and/or help services concerning the sexual offence
“My experience with the vice squad was quite positive. But I also remember being pressured before the examining magistrate by the perpetrator's lawyer to drop the criminal complaint “because he had already suffered enough” due to his job loss and divorce from his wife. I found that very intense.”
“After the court case, someone from the Public Prosecutor's Office contacted me to explain the verdict. It was very helpful to understand that - relatively, and for that time - he received a heavy sentence. ”
"The fact that it came to a conviction was very important to help me cope with all of it."
"He didn't get away with it."
On March 26, 2020, Minister Ferd Grapperhaus of Justice and Security stated in a response to the parliamentary questions from Kathalijne Buitenweg that, in view of the ‘current workload and processing times’, the vice squad can only handle ‘a limited number of vice cases’ at a time. Matters would be 'prioritized' on the basis of ‘acute danger, risk of recurrence or special social unrest’.
Figures and facts
According to the Dutch CBS (Editor's note: Central Bureau of Statistics), only 41% of victims of violent and sex offence crimes, reported to the police in 2017.
In the first 3 quarters of 2019, only 37% of reports of rape to the police actually led to a criminal complaint.
According to newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, in October 2019, 945 rape cases were already on hold at the police for more than six months; 90 even longer than two years. Since 2017, the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison has not been demanded in a rape case. On average, a convict was sentenced to 1 year and 5 months in prison.
The Dutch Hotline against child sexual abuse material on the internet, received approximately 300,000 reports of online sexual abuse of minors in 2019. An increase of 38 percent: the year before, the number of reports increased by 45 percent.