09 July 2026
A seventeen year old drunk girl was raped by two men. She met them in a bar, and they gave her a ride home as she was stuck. One of them was a, now former, policeman, so she could assume it was safe. She wanted to make a stop at a McDonald’s. They did, but the fast-food restaurant was closed. The girl was raped for eighty minutes, and it stopped when she said she wanted to go home. She was brought home.
Having sex with a 16- or 17-year old is not illegal, but they have to give consent. The girl didn’t say: “No!” But would a drunk girl, the legal drinking age in The Netherlands is 18, saying no on a parking lot late at night to the men who were getting her home?
Of course, she reported the rape, and she was lucky that her case was picked up by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The men spend three months in pre-trail detention. So far, so good, you might think. The result of the trail was… acquittal! Why??? Because the judge could not see proof for a particularly vulnerable position or a situation of dependence, as referred to in the Criminal Code. So, being a drunk 17-year-old in the middle of nowhere, dependent on others to get home in the night, is not a vulnerable position?
For the legal details check the link to rechtspraak.nl.
Time for protest! “Geen Ja is NEE!” Organized by The Dolle Mina‘s in Utrecht in front of the courthouse. With many speakers:
Dionne Hallegraeff explained the whole process she had to go through after being raped. Samira Rafaela was member of parliament of the European Union and helped create better legislation. She almost didn’t vote for it, as it didn’t include a universal definition of rape. The Netherlands was one of the countries which didn’t want that level of clarity. Richard Korver, a lawyer supporting victims for twenty-five year, mentioned the prosecutors forgot the add one thing to the case… rape. A judge can’t convict you for anything that is not part of the trail. Yes, the prosecutors will appeal and do a better job.
Fieke Opdam also shared her experience with filing a rape case. Kirsten Regtop talked about domestic violence, as rape within the marriage is seen as ‘normal’. Sabine Meulenbeld explained that beside fight, fly and freeze there is a fourth reaction: fawn, where you just cooperate to avoid harm. Esther Neven studied the position of women in the Dutch police force. Despite great examples of women in leadership positions almost 90 years ago, and the positive discrimination to promote women in the 80’s and 90’s, they disappear just as fast, when there is no strong sponsor at the top, because the police force is, and always will be, a masculine organization.
Tilda spoke about the Femicide Fund she, and others, started this year, to support women who are in each of the eight phases which lead up to femicide.
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
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