Death of a 17-year old teenager in the Netherlands sparks outrage over violence against women

Published connected 22/08/2025 - 18:20 GMT+2 •Updated 18:42

The convulsive execution of a Dutch teenager, 17-year-old Lisa, who had been biking location aft a nighttime retired pinch her friends sparked outrage crossed nan Netherlands and Belgium.

A poem written by Dutch actrice and writer Nienke 's Gravemade has been wide shared connected societal media, successful it she writes really women person nan correct to consciousness safe and move freely astatine night. The matter is accompanied by a hashtag, translating to #reclaimthenight.

"The reddish handbag. I support reasoning astir nan reddish handbag. How it dangled from her handlebars arsenic she rode done nan night. A nighttime that belonged to her too, because we each person 24 hours successful our day. 24 hours that we are free to usage really and wherever we choose," 's Gravemade wrote successful a station connected Instagram.

Early connected Wednesday, Lisa near nan centre of Amsterdam astir 3:30AM aft a nighttime retired pinch friends, and was cycling backmost location to nan adjacent municipality of Abcoude. After she noticed personification was pursuing her, nan 17-year-old called nan nationalist emergency number.

The constabulary were capable to find nan teen utilizing her phone, but each thief came excessively late. When nan dispatched squad arrived astatine nan segment astatine 4:15AM, Lisa's lifeless assemblage was recovered by nan broadside of nan roadworthy successful Duivendrecht, adjacent Amsterdam, section media reported.

On Friday afternoon, Dutch constabulary announced a suspect had emerged successful nan investigation into Lisa's death. The 22-year-old man was arrested Thursday nighttime connected suspicion of engagement successful a superior intersexual offence successful Weesperzijde, a neighbourhood successful Amsterdam.

'Text maine erstwhile you're home.'

"Text maine erstwhile you're home, [...] I'll conscionable stock my unrecorded location and return nan longer way alternatively of going down that road," reads a poem by different Dutch writer Lois Kruidenier. She took to societal media to stock an acquisition that wide resonates pinch women.

"I put connected my sneakers earlier getting connected my motorcycle pinch nary lights. I necktie my hairsbreadth into a bun aliases tuck it into my jacket, trying to beryllium arsenic invisible arsenic possible. I perceive to music, but very quietly. I spot a man without looking astatine him, and I don't extremity astatine reddish lights because that takes excessively overmuch time. Hi dada - I outcry into my phone, moreover though nary one's connected nan different extremity of nan line," Kruidenier's poem continued.

The incident reignited statement astir nan damaging effects of "victim blaming."

"Why didn't she conscionable return a taxi pinch her friends?" Was it really smart to get connected her motorcycle alone? Why was she still cycling that precocious astatine night? Why did she take to deterioration that, of each things?," 's Gravemade wrote successful her post, highlighting immoderate of communal remarks women often perceive erstwhile blasted is unfairly shifted onto them.

The Dutch writer admitted emotion blameworthy correct aft having shared those aforesaid thoughts, and emphasised that nan blasted should not remainder connected women, but connected nan perpetrator.