Dutch women’s rights campaign and appeal to the new Dutch government

On May 24^th, the municipality of Rotterdam has started the campaign “In the Netherlands you choose your own partner”. The goal of the campaign is to clarify that choosing your own partner is a matter of course. Femmes for Freedom has been fighting against forced marriage for years. The thought behind forced marriage is that women have no right to self-determination when it comes to choosing whom to fall in love with or with whom to have a relationship, whether to have sexual relationships or wether to live with your partner, married or unmarried. This thought is the root cause for honor related violence and other crimes against women.

Together with a number of women from the muslim community, Femmes for Freedom came up with the idea for a public self-determination campaign on the right to fall in love and presented this to various municipalities and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Mr. Ronald Schneider, Rotterdam’s alderman responsible for integration affairs is the first one that took the  bold step to actually  realize this campaign.

Femmes for Freedom congratulates the municipality of Rotterdam with this campaign and its efforts to address this serious issue and calls on other municipalities to follow the Rotterdam example. A dialogue with communities regarding the right for self-determination regarding one’s sexuality and relationships is an essential step in women’s and girls’ emancipation. Moreover, the local and central authorities should assure every women or girl that they are not alone when they stand for their own rights.

Currently, negotiations on the formation of the new Dutch government coalition are ongoing and Femmes for Freedom takes this opportunity to appeal to the new government to make the emancipation of women with a migration background a key priority in their emancipation policy. You can find the Femmes for Freedom proposals on emancipation policies addressed to the new government here.

If you have positive stories to share, questions to ask or concerns regarding the campaign or when you need any help, do not hesitate to contact us!

Email: info@femmesforfreedom.com 

Phone number: + 31 70 362 65 06