The Dutch government is working on a new law that would allow people, in particular women, to ask the police whether a partner or ex-partner has a violent past. Justice and security minister David van Weel said this month that he is “enormously motivated” to introduce a Dutch version of the British law known as Clare’s Law.
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Clare’s Law has applied across England and Wales since 2014. It gives people the “right to ask” the police whether their partner or someone close to them has a history of violence or abuse, and it gives the police a “right to know” power to proactively warn people who are in a relationship with someone who has such a history. Tens of thousands of requests are made every year.
The law is named after Clare Wood, a British woman who was murdered by her ex-partner in 2009. She had no idea that he had a long record of violence against women, and her father campaigned for the law as a way to prevent similar tragedies.
A motion calling on the cabinet to investigate a Dutch version of Clare’s Law was passed by the Tweede Kamer in May 2025, on the initiative of D66 MP Hanneke van der Werf and supported by VVD, GroenLinks-PvdA and PRO. The current Jetten coalition agreement explicitly committed to introducing the law. A year later, however, the outlines of any actual bill were still missing, and Van der Werf urged the minister to “move at pace.”
This month, Van Weel sent the Tweede Kamer the results of legal research he had commissioned into whether a Dutch variant is feasible. Lawyers say it is, but that there are “snags”: such a law can clash with privacy rules, police officers need to know exactly how to handle requests, and there must be sufficient help on hand for women who decide to ask for the information. Van Weel said that, despite the complications, he is convinced of the value of going ahead. He pointed to the roughly 1.3 million reports per year of women who experience violence in the Netherlands: “I think this law has added value.”
Not everyone is convinced a Dutch Clare’s Law will be a quick fix. Charlotte Barlow, a British criminologist who has researched the law for years, told EenVandaag that the absence of a police record is no guarantee of safety: she estimated that around 80 percent of victims of domestic violence never report to the police, meaning many violent partners simply do not show up in any database. That, she said, could give people a false sense of security. Leaving a violent relationship is also “incredibly difficult,” and information alone does not solve that.
Van der Werf agrees the law is “no golden trick,” but argues it is one of many measures that can improve safety. “Only when you are armed with the facts can you make a good decision,” she said.
The proposal fits a wider Dutch debate about violence against women, including the 2024 national “Stop femicide!” action plan and the implementation of an EU directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, both of which are pushing the government to tighten protection for victims. Whether and when a Dutch Clare’s Law actually reaches parliament will depend on how quickly the legal and practical hurdles can be addressed.
This is a sensitive topic. Anyone in the Netherlands worried about safety in their own or someone else’s relationship can contact Veilig Thuis on 0800-2000 (free and confidential, 24/7), or call 112 in an emergency.
