Young women feel even less safe on Dutch streets year after Lisa's murder

Thursday, 20 August 2026 - 10:20

Today marks the first anniversary of the murder of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude. The teen girl’s murder sparked increased attention for women’s safety on Dutch streets at night, but despite that, little has changed in practice. A majority of young women now feel even less safe than they did before Lisa’s murder, according to a survey by NOS Stories.

A man attacked and murdered Lisa in Duivendrecht as she was cycling home to Abcoude from a night out in Amsterdam. The girl called the police herself, reporting that a man had attacked her and may still be following her. When the police arrived, they found her body. She had been stabbed mutliple times.

The teen girl’s murder sparked the We Claim The Night campaign, aimed at raising awareness about women’s safety. Many municipalities took measures at places where women feel unsafe, such as putting up extra lights and cutting down bushes where people could hide.

But young women told NOS Stories that they’ve experienced little difference in practice. They still feel unsafe at night, or even more so, one year after Lisa’s murder, partly because they are thinking about what could happen to them more often.

Many young women are taking measures to keep themselves safe, such as “arming” themselves with a heavy bunch of keys when they’re walking at night. Many only put one earphone in, so that they can hear what is going on around them, share their location, and check in on friends to make sure they arrived home safely. One young woman told NOS Stories that she acts crazy when out alone, singing loudly and moving strangely, so that men would maybe think twice about approaching her.

Bas Zwiers of Emancipator, an expertise center that provides training at schools and companies for boys and men about their role in society, has noticed some change in the past year, but sees that men and women still live in completely different worlds.

The societal debate on women’s safety over the past year has resulted in Emancipator no longer having to explain the purpose of their training so much. "Previously, boys at schools would ask: why are we getting training on this? That happens less now,” Zwiers said. But he still often sees that boys don’t consider themselves the problem.

"When women talk about what they experience, it becomes clear that men and women do not live in the same world," Zwiers said. Boys are often surprised when they hear that women take measures to stay safe. "They say: 'How awful that you are going through this.' We then try to initiate a conversation about what men can do so that women feel safer in public spaces."

As an example, he mentions walking home from the station in the dark. Men usually don’t think twice about this, but women feel unsafe. "I then explain that a man can make a difference by slowing down or walking on the other side of the street, so that the woman does not feel like she is being followed."

Lisa’s family thanks their village

On the anniversary of Lisa’s murder, her family released a statement, thanking the residents of their village, Abcoude, for “all the love, support, and compassion you gave and have continued to give,” RTV Utrecht reported.

After Lisa’s murder, the family immediately indicated that they wanted to remain anonymous. And they have succeeded. Despite journalists flooding the village with its some 8,000 inhabitants, hardly anything became known about the family.

“We are incredibly grateful for the respect for our privacy, especially towards the media,” the family wrote. “Your warm support gives us the safety and strength to pick up our lives again step by step.”

The family also thanked the organizers of the Festival Week, which starts in Abcoude on Tuesday. Last year, the festival was adapted to a more somber tone. This year, it will be back to normal. The family fully supports that. "Let us laugh, toast, and celebrate life the way Lisa did: with full abandon, a hearty laugh, and surrounded by friends."