Central to addressing domestic violence and child abuse
THE HAGUE - Minister of Justice, Shalten Hato, conducted a working visit on May 17, 2023, to UNICEF Netherlands and stated that by no later than June, they will formalize a cooperation agreement to establish ProtehaMi as operational.
ProtehaMi will become the sole government-designated center where all youth and adults, as well as professionals such as teachers, doctors, police, and neighbors, can call in cases of domestic violence or child abuse.
ProtehaMi's task will be to provide advice to professionals on how to act in specific cases and to register data for the government to determine the extent of this issue. Additionally, they will investigate specific cases to identify the best steps to be taken to solve the situation.
UNICEF Netherlands is the entity that assists the Ministry of Justice in materializing this central point for reporting cases of domestic violence and violence against children. In this context, Minister Hato expressed his gratitude to UNICEF Netherlands for providing intensive training courses to all the employees who will work at ProtehaMi and the directors involved. These courses were conducted in the Netherlands and were aimed at handling these cases professionally and effectively. The officials who participated in the courses in the Netherlands on UNICEF's invitation had the opportunity to observe all aspects of the work carried out by Veilig Thuis, the organization in the Netherlands that provides advice and serves as the central point for reporting domestic abuse and child maltreatment.
After the visit to UNICEF Netherlands, Minister Hato went to Veilig Thuis Haaglanden to obtain an explanation of how a central reporting point for domestic violence cases operates in the Netherlands.