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The government agenda
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport also supported the national ‘Partnership to Tackle Sexual
Violence.’ This partnership was launched in January 2009 by Movisie, the Rutgers Nisso Group and the
Fiom (national organisation offering psychosocial help, information and advice regarding intended
or unintended – or teenage – pregnancy, among other issues), as partners in the field and as centres
of expertise, in order to work together to provide an impetus to the improvement in the prevention
of and tackling of sexual violence. In autumn 2009, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science provided an additional financial incentive for new Partnership
activities.
As previously described, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport took the initiative, together with
the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Youth and Families, to lay down the reporting code
‘domestic violence and child abuse’ in the form of legislation. 117 In addition, there must be an immediate
and safe shelter for all victims of violence in dependency relationships, therefore also for
victims of sexual violence. Finally, early, quick and effective assistance must be available so that
victims and perpetrators – regardless of the nature of the violence – are able to lead lives that are
free of violence. 118
Recently (2010), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, together with the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Science invested in the sexual education of boys via the programme ‘Sexual health of young
people’ of the ZonMW, Nederlandse organisatie voor gezondheidsonderzoek en zorginnovatie [Netherlands Organisation
for Health Research and Development] 119 and the new campaign ‘Maak seks lekker duidelijk’ [‘Make
sex perfectly clear’]. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport extended the financial support for the
Partnership to Tackle Sexual Violence up until the end of 2011. Providing reception facilities and assistance
to girls who are victims or who risk becoming the victims of loverboys via the project Asja II,
carried out by the treatment and expertise centre Fier Fryslân, were extended by one and a half years by
the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. 120
2.5.2 Regional Plan to Tackle <strong>Child</strong> Abuse
Combating child abuse was one of the priorities of the Ministry of Youth and Families at the time. In June
2007, the Minister for Youth and Families sent a plan of action 121 to the House of Representatives, partly on
behalf of the Minister of Justice, concerning measures to combat child abuse, entitled ‘Kinderen veilig thuis’
[<strong>Child</strong>ren safe at home]. This plan of action comprised four main aims, namely preventing parents from
abusing their children, identifying cases of child abuse, putting a stop to child abuse, and limiting the
harmful consequences of child abuse. Additional attention was devoted to improving identification and
117 From a Parliamentary letter (Parliamentary Papers II 2010/11, 28 345, no.114) of 23 June 2011, it appears that
the reporting code has still not yet been laid down in law.
118 Parliamentary Papers II 2009/10, 32 239, no.1.
119 ZonMw – de Nederlandse organisatie voor gezondheidsonderzoek en zorginnovatie [Netherlands Organisation for
Health Research and Innovation in Care].
120 Parliamentary Papers II 2010/11, 32 710 XVI, no.1.
121 This action plan came into existence with the co-operation of many parties and was primarily written
for all partners involved in tackling child abuse. The definition of child abuse from the Youth Care Act
was employed in the action plan, see also §1.3.
109