A growing number of perpetrators of domestic violence are being issued with temporary restraining orders. According to figures requested by VRT News, the number of temporary restraining orders issued to those that commit domestic violence has tripled in five years. There are more than 700 such orders in force in Flanders.
Big increase in the number of restraining orders issued to those that commit domestic violence
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A temporary restraining order means that someone that poses a danger to one or more members of their household is obliged to leave their family home forthwith for a period of 14 days. A restraining order also bans any contact with the victim. The aim is to prevent the violence from escalating without the victim(s) having to leave their home.
During the past five years, the number of temporary restraining orders in Flanders has increased each year, from 217 in 2020 to 707 so far this year. The Flemish Justice and Enforcement Agency expects that 760 temporary enforcement orders will have been issued by the end of the year.
However, without close monitoring, a resistaining order is easy to violate. Just last week a 29-year-old woman was killed at a flat in Antwerp last week. Her suspected killer is her partner. In September a 47-year-old Afghan man stabbed his 43-year-old wife to death in the West Flemish town of Roeselare. During the summer a man set his partner on fire in Houthalen-Helchteren in Limburg Province. In all three cases restraining orders were in place.
Although there are no official figures, experts say at least 22 women are killed by their partner or former partner in Belgium every year. A scientific committee has been set up to uncover the underlying patterns and warning signs that often precede domestic violence. They will issue a preliminary report with recommendations next year.