Samenvatting

In this article, the authors examine the extent to which the Netherlands has a ‘femicide problem’ that requires specific policies. Based on an analysis of definitions of femicide, the phenomenon appears to lack a clear description. This lack of clarity affects the data on femicide, which consequently seem to involve different types of violence and are misinterpreted by Dutch media. The authors note that the Netherlands already has policies on these different forms of gender violence, making specific policies on femicide seem unnecessary. Although femicide is a serious problem, the authors conclude that specific policies do not currently seem to contribute to making femicide more visible and less urgent.