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This article explores the legal recognition of femicide and gender-based violence in the Netherlands, suggesting that defining femicide may enhance the criminal law framework.
Femicide as a criminal law phenomenon: a legal solution for a cultural problem? Since the Istanbul Convention entered into force in 2016 in the Netherlands, legal and policy focus on gender-based violence – including femicide – has intensified. While generally femicide is defined as ‘the killings of females because they are female’, there is no uniform legal definition. Originating in feminist sociology, the term highlights systemic gender power imbalances and historically entrenched impunity. Nevertheless, some countries (mostly in Latin America) have enacted femicide laws. The Netherlands has not formalized a legal definition yet, but policy awareness is slowly influencing courts and multi-agency responses. This article discusses the added value of defining femicide in Dutch criminal law.
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Mojan Samadi (2025) studied this question.
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