VeiligThuis denied plea for extra funding for domestic abuse

Domestic abuse reporting network VeiligThuis had its request for an additional
€70 million rejected by parliament on Tuesday, after the organisation said it was being overwhelmed with reports and could not handle the workload.

Waiting lists have been growing substantially for years, and how a case is handled depends on the region where you live.

MPs voted against immediately granting more money. First, parliament wants the cabinet to look at the “role, position and capacity” of VeiligThuis to see how best to improve it. A motion calling for that investigation was passed a year ago.

MPs agreed the motion needs to be implemented now, but that more money is not the solution until the problems are better understood.

Pro MP Lisa Westerveld said the previous and current cabinets are responsible for the delay. “This is not primarily a matter of money, but of doing what was promised.”

In the past year, serious child abuse incidents have sparked national outrage and drawn attention to the lack of sufficient resources and care.