Deadly violence on women (femicide) will be granted a separate crime label in Belgian penal law. The State Secretary for Gender Equality Sarah Schlitz (Francophone greens) hopes this will help to collect official figures on femicide.
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Femicide to receive a special label in Belgian penal law in a first for Europe
Michaël Torfs
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Key ministers adopted the Sarah Schlitz' proposal yesterday under the hashtag #StopFeminicide. The framework will provide the right tools to protect victims better and to get an overall view on how widespread this problem is.
The Belgian decision is a first in Europe. The police and judicial authorities will be able to use the label on the field. It will be used when the murder of a woman is considered as a gender-based hate crime.
"This is very important," says Liesbet Stevens of the Institute for Gender Equality. She explains this will help to assess risk factors, e.g. in cases of partner violence. It will enable tracking and boost protection of possible victims.
In 2022, at least 18 women have been murdered because they were female, but this number is considered to be an underestimation.