Women in the Netherlands have the right to know their partner's past to protect themselves from violence.
The majority of members of the Dutch parliament approved the adoption of a new law that allows women to check whether their partner has previously been convicted of domestic violence, based on the "Claire's Law" implemented in the UK in 2014 after the murder of Claire Wood (36 years old) by her former partner in 2009, of whom she was unaware of his violent history.
Concerned relatives and friends of women can also request this information, while the police will decide whether to grant permission based on privacy considerations.
According to the National Statistics Office CBS, 41 women were killed in the Netherlands in 2023, with more than half of them by a partner or ex-partner, while 20% of the victims were killed by another family member.
The proposal was presented by Hanneke van der Werf from the D66 party, supported by VVD, PvdA-GroenLinks, and NSC, and noted that "early detection and follow-up of domestic violence reports often fail." She added that a woman's knowledge of her partner's violent past will enable her to "make an informed decision and seek help at an early stage."
For her part, Assistant Minister of Justice Ingrid Konradi from the PVV party has made combating femicide (gender-based killing) a top priority, allocating an additional 10 million euros for awareness campaigns and creating a special specialization for it within the Public Prosecution Service.