The North Drenthe support center against femicide will probably be located in Assen. The province recently released 750,000 euros for such a support point. The possible support center in Assen should be followed up in other places in the province after a three-year trial period.
Several cases of femicide, for example, are also known in Drenthe. For example, last week the Public Prosecution Service labeled the murder of 72-year-old Ida from Assen as femicide. The woman was killed last summer and her 80-year-old wife is a suspect in the case. Ida’s body was found in the Noord-Willemskanaal near Tynaarlo.
Municipalities increasingly want to tackle violence against women centrally. For example, with a Filomena support center, where doctors, lawyers, aid organizations and police are under one roof. Victims can walk in without a referral and tell their story at once, after which different parties can immediately intervene if necessary.
When women (and some men) seek help against violence, they often end up in a fragmented landscape. It is usually up to the victim himself to connect all the lines and get to the right authorities.
Filomena’s formula appears to be successful: the concept expanded to Groningen last year and opened in Tilburg in October. “People are desperate for help and fall through the cracks in the system,” says Hoogwerf. “We have all the knowledge in-house.”
The victim’s case is discussed by the various affiliated authorities. An assistance plan is then drawn up that takes into account all areas (legal, medical, psychological assistance). This involves talking to everyone involved: all parties can receive help, including the perpetrator of violence. “This is how you break patterns,” says Hoogwerf.
Women know where to find the center: hundreds of people have registered in Rotterdam, Groningen and Tilburg since it opened. The vast majority of them are women.
“People even come from Overijssel and Limburg,” says project leader of Filomena Groningen Regilio Soerjaman. “That is why it is good if it is rolled out in more places, so that everyone can go in their own neighborhood.” And initiatives are now being taken for this throughout the country.
Although the locations (in the making) are in cities, they also serve the surrounding region, says Hoogwerf. “If we had twelve Filomenas in the Netherlands, we would have national coverage.”