A crowdfunding campaign launched on Friday in the Netherlands has raised over €500,000 in support of a national initiative aimed at ensuring that women can travel home safely at night.
The campaign, titled '‘Wij eisen de nacht op, laat vrouwen veilig thuiskomen’ ('We Claim the Night, Let Women Get Home Safely’), was sparked by recent violence against women, including the killing of a 17-year-old girl in Amsterdam last week while cycling home.
The fundraiser initially aimed to collect €3,500 but gradually increased its goal to €100,000 and finally to €500,000 due to overwhelming support.
Danique de Jong, the campaign’s organiser and a strategist for social issues, explained on the crowdfunding platform that €12,000 would be enough to display the campaign’s message on motorway billboards nationwide. Any additional funds would go towards expanding the effort with digital screens in cities and prolonging the campaign’s duration.
“Because so much more money has been raised than we initially anticipated, we find it important to remain open and transparent about how it will be used,” De Jong said on Monday. She added that experts were working to draw up a concrete plan for spending the funds.
Key areas of focus include a behaviour-change campaign, policy-based actions such as a formal proposal in Parliament to address and recognise femicide and other gender-related violence, and support for existing initiatives.
“So far, only a small portion has been spent on printed materials,” she said. “The rest of the money remains untouched.”
De Jong described the response to the campaign as “surreal.”
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed—whether with money, time, attention, or support,” she said. “This campaign is just the beginning. True freedom and equality will only exist when everyone can walk the streets, at any time, day or night.”
