Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
The public entities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, together with the Dutch Ministries of VWS, JenV, OCW, SZW, and BZK, have signed a new Administrative Agreement 2026–2029 to prevent and combat violence against women, domestic violence, and child abuse in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Eric Bezem (Director-General for Sanctions and Protection – Ministry of Justice and Security), Koen Becking (State Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education and Equal Opportunities – Ministry of Education, Culture and Science), John Soliano (Island Governor of Bonaire), Judith Tielen (State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport – Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport), Alida Francis (Island Governor of St. Eustatius), Eddie van Marum (State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations), Jurgen Nobel (State Secretary for Participation and Integration – Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment), Jonathan Johnson (Island Governor of Saba).
The agreement strengthens the joint commitment to creating a safe and equal society. It focuses on improving prevention, early detection, intervention, and support, while enhancing coordination between the islands and the national government. Measures include closer cooperation among support organizations, establishing a knowledge center for professionals, and developing new training programs for both citizens and professionals. In addition, Leiden University, in partnership with the islands and VWS, will begin a research project on sexual violence and sexually inappropriate behavior.
State Secretary Tielen emphasized the importance of collective action: violence has far-reaching consequences for victims and society, including trauma, school or work dropout, and pressure on informal caregivers. She stressed that tackling this complex issue requires collaboration across sectors, including law enforcement, healthcare, and education.
In recent years, the islands have already made significant progress, including the creation of reporting centers for domestic violence and child abuse, the establishment of women’s shelters, professional training initiatives, and public awareness campaigns. The new agreement builds on these efforts and represents another step toward enabling the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in the Caribbean Netherlands.
RCN
