2 hours Ago
Tougher Sentences and Broader Powers for Prosecutors
Justice and Security Minister David van Weel published the draft legislation, outlining some significant shifts in how Dutch law would treat domestic violence cases. Under the current system, offenders who kill a partner but where premeditation cannot be proven are typically convicted of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. The new proposal would allow judges to hand down sentences of up to 30 years or even life imprisonment in manslaughter cases — provided the killing came after a sustained pattern of physical abuse or coercive control.
That is a meaningful distinction. It acknowledges what experts have argued for years: that domestic killings rarely come out of nowhere. They follow a trail.
The proposal also gives the Public Prosecution Service greater independence to act. Under the new rules, prosecutors could open cases involving coercive control, psychological abuse, and stalking without needing the victim to file a complaint first. That matters, because victims in controlling relationships are often too frightened — or too isolated — to come forward on their own.
Defining the Invisible Abuse
One of the most important aspects of this legislation is how it defines psychological abuse and coercive control in legal terms. Psychological abuse, as described in the draft, covers repeated patterns of belittling, intimidation, and bullying. Coercive control goes further — it includes systematically humiliating a partner, making them live in fear, cutting off their freedom, or subjecting them to constant surveillance and monitoring.
Van Weel was direct about why this matters. "Psychological violence has major consequences for victims, but at the moment it is not always punishable," he said, adding that police and prosecutors are currently too restricted in their ability to step in — even when situations are clearly serious or escalating.
The scale of the problem is hard to ignore. A 2024 study found that around 200,000 people in the Netherlands experienced psychological abuse, including approximately 130,000 women and 70,000 men. Experts have long warned that this kind of abuse frequently precedes physical violence and femicide. The legislation had been promised during the previous Cabinet by then-State Secretary Coenradie.
The draft also expands sextortion laws. Currently, blackmail involving intimate images is only prosecutable if a victim is actually forced to act on the threat. The new proposal would make the threat itself enough to trigger prosecution — closing a loophole that left many victims without recourse.
The draft is now open for public feedback, after which the Cabinet will review responses before sending the bill to both houses of parliament.
