Parliament calls for more careful reporting on femicide
A majority asks the minister to address media organisations about reporting on gender-based violence.
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A majority of the Lower House wants the media to report more carefully on femicide and gender-based violence. MPs refer to a Spanish media code and ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to engage with media organisations.
The call comes from MPs including those from VVD, D66, SP, BBB, JA21 and PRO. They want reporting on femicide not to remain confined to isolated incidents, but also to address the broader context of violence against women.
The initiators advocate voluntary agreements with media organisations. These could cover word choice, how victims and suspects are described, and whether gender-based violence is explicitly identified. A statutory requirement for newsrooms is not under consideration.
The debate touches on the tension between journalistic freedom and the social consequences of reporting. From a right-wing perspective, restraint by the government regarding editorial choices comes first. From a left-wing perspective, shared guidelines can help avoid stereotypical explanations and undue emphasis on private circumstances.
Femicide is not a separate criminal offence under the Dutch Criminal Code. The Lower House has previously discussed whether femicide should be registered or punished as a separate category. The current call, however, concerns journalism and prevention, not an immediate change to criminal law.
It is not yet clear how the minister will respond to the call. The parliamentary majority cannot directly compel the media to adopt a code. Its impact will therefore depend on the willingness of newsrooms, journalists’ organisations and experts to make joint agreements.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A parliamentary majority is calling for consultations on voluntary guidelines for reporting on femicide.
- The call concerns journalistic practices and does not change criminal law.
- The government cannot directly prescribe how individual articles must be written.
Left
Arguments Reporting should make gender-based violence visible as a social pattern and prevent responsibility from being implicitly placed on victims.
Values Equality, protection of victims and social responsibility.
Consequences A voluntary code could improve quality, but remains vulnerable if newsrooms apply it differently.
Centre
Arguments Consultation between the government, journalists and experts can produce practical guidelines without undermining editorial independence.
Values Carefulness, institutional restraint and press freedom.
Consequences The outcome will depend mainly on voluntary compliance and professional standards.
Right
Arguments The government should exercise restraint with regard to standards for news media and prevent political preferences from influencing journalistic selection.
Values Freedom of expression, independent journalism and limited government intervention.
Consequences Under this approach, a code can be legitimate only if it does not develop into political control over reporting.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is confirmed by reporting on the parliamentary call and the Lower House’s publicly available search information. The text clearly distinguishes between voluntary journalistic agreements and legislation.
- confirmed A parliamentary majority wants consultations on a media code for reporting on femicide. — NOS reporting mentions the parliamentary majority and the voluntary media code. source
- confirmed Femicide is not a separate criminal offence in the Netherlands. — The Lower House treats femicide as an issue within existing criminal-law and policy debates. source
Editor's note
What is certain is that a parliamentary majority is calling for consultations on a voluntary media code. The precise wording of the adopted motion and the minister’s response were only available to a limited extent in the freely accessible sources consulted.Sources
- Naar Spaans voorbeeld dringt Tweede Kamer aan op mediacode femicide — NOS via Drimble
- Zoekresultaten Tweede Kamer voor femicide — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „femicide tweede kamer”
- NU.nl — „femicide tweede kamer”
- De Telegraaf — „femicide tweede kamer”