Education Recognising and addressing domestic violence with a practice-based course Written on Friday, November 29, 2024 Orange the World is a global campaign against violence against women and girls which is held this week and the next. At the Netherlands Police Academy, we train almost a thousand students and colleagues per year in the ‘Domestic violence and child abuse’ course. In this training course they learn how to recognise and address violence. The course is offered in collaboration with important partners such as Veilig Thuis (‘Safe at Home’). Experience expert Quirina Kofman is one of the guest lecturers for this course. This year’s theme of Orange the World in the Netherlands is ‘Safe, everywhere and always’. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the fact that violence against women and girls occurs in many different places in society. ‘It’s not only about women or families from disadvantaged neighbourhoods or living in poverty,’ says Quirina. ‘Violence against women occurs in all strata of the population. Even independent women who work outside the home may be oppressed at home.’ Emotional abuse The most visible form of violence in the Netherlands is physical abuse, explains Quirina. ‘The threat of femicide is also a hot item. Much less visible, however, is emotional abuse, which causes a lot of lasting damage, particularly in children. It is beyond imagination how traumatising it is for a child to have to witness violence. The same is true for sexual violence. Unfortunately, this is not always talked about enough.’ Why is it so difficult to recognise child abuse in children? ‘Well, firstly because many children do not know that what’s happening at home is ‘not normal’. And because children are often very loyal to their parents. We know that this will cause damage later. We can see that as adults, but children do not know that and therefore do not always tell everything that’s going on.’ 'Safe at Home' Quirina also works for Veilig Thuis (‘Safe at Home’). Veilig Thuis is the place where everyone, including civilians, can obtain advice on domestic violence and where it can be reported. You can always call if you have a suspicion of violence in a family or have heard or seen something. You can also do so anonymously. You can ask for advice if you are not sure what is going on. Of course, you can also make a report. Veilig Thuis branches are everywhere in the Netherlands. Everybody who is confronted with a form of domestic violence or child abuse can go there. After receiving a report, Veilig Thuis investigates what is needed to ensure safety in a family. They then refer you to the appropriate organisation. If needed, they can also involve the police or the Child Care and Protection Board. The police and the Child Care and Protection Board work closely together in combating domestic violence and child abuse. Conflict of loyalty Quirina knows this, for she was a victim of child abuse herself. ‘I literally fled from home when I was eighteen. I deliberately signed up for nursing training because back then you could live in a nurses’ home. There was a lot of violence inside our home. Against my mother, against me and later against my sisters too. Back then I was also struggling with feelings of loyalty, because I wanted to stay in touch with my parents. But unfortunately I didn’t.’ ‘When I was twenty, I met the father of my children. Twenty-two years and three children later I ended up in a shelter home. Only when I met my present husband was I able to settle down sufficiently to cope with all the traumas, and I was diagnosed with PTSD. This was caused by the violence in my youth and the sexual abuse by my father.’ Four years ago, I completed the higher professional education course Experience Expert in Care and Welfare. I believe it’s important to share my story. I want to make it clear to professionals how much of an impact violence has on the rest of your life. That’s how I ended up at the Police Academy and got involved in the ‘Domestic violence and child abuse’ course.’ Discuss possible signs ‘During the course I work closely with the teachers of the Police Academy. They know exactly what the police can and must do in situations of abuse in the family, including child abuse. The course is illustrated by a real-life example of domestic violence from the field. This is the common thread that runs through the course.’ ‘At a certain point in the discussion about this example, I join in. I then give more examples of domestic violence and child abuse. Then we do an exercise with the students with a new example from reality. That example turns out to be part of my own story.’ ‘In this exercise I try to make it clear that when we, professionals, look at signs of child abuse, we all see something different. Every student has their own background and their own upbringing. That specific experience may “colour” the signs of abuse as we perceive them.’ ‘Suppose there is a primary school pupil who is always eager to help the teacher. Is that a positive or a negative thing? In my youth it was negative, because I wasn’t seen or heard at home. I therefore sought the attention of the teacher. Unfortunately, he took advantage of that.’ ‘That’s why it’s very important to discuss those signs with each other. And ask questions like ‘What do you think is going on here?, ‘Is this safe?’ and ‘Why do you think that?’ The course Domestic Violence and Child Abuse is a training course for police officers in the Care and Safety domain. Different real-life situations play a central role during training. Domestic violence, child abuse, stalking and honour-based violence are addressed. The situations covered in the course are dealt with in full cooperation with our partner Veilig Thuis (‘Safe at Home’), the advice and reporting centre for domestic violence and child abuse. Quirina also works for Veilig Thuis. More information about the course For more information, go to Domestic violence and child abuse course (in Dutch). Dare to ask questions ‘It’s important for students to know that it can be extremely stressful for a family to have a police officer come to their home. Many people simply go into survival mode. Because you’re upsetting their fixed routine and disrupting their lives. You have to be very aware of that. You also have to be very patient. That family is not ready to turn everything upside down or tell you everything just like that.’ ‘My most important piece of advice is, whether you’re a civilian or police officer, that if you think there’s something wrong, you should start a dialogue with the person in question. Simply tell them that you’re worried because you’ve heard or seen something. Dare to ask questions and dare to talk.’