A total of 662 people received a temporary restraining order in Flanders last year – a number that has tripled since 2020, according to figures from the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Already since 2013, the Public Prosecutor's Office can intervene through the Temporary House Bans Act when a person poses a serious and immediate danger to their housemates. The person is then banned from entering their home for at least 14 days and must avoid contact with family members. Meanwhile, there is mandatory supervision by the authorities.
After those two weeks, the family court can extend the restraining order for up to three months. The law long remained a dead letter, but is recently being used more often. In 2020, 217 temporary house bans were still imposed, last year there were 662.
House bans are primarily a preventative measure, as they aim to defuse potentially dangerous situations while professionals examine how people can still live together.
Tackling partner violence
For Flemish Justice Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA), the growing success of the measure is due to increased awareness of the matter among police and prosecutors. "Flanders invested heavily in tackling partner violence this legislature. At the end of last year, we opened no less than five Safe Houses that help and advise families – bringing the total to nine. This will also have an impact on house bans in those provinces."
Temporary restraining orders can indeed make a difference, Pascale Franck, coordinator of the Family Justice Centre/Safe House in Antwerp, told De Morgen: a pilot project by the organisation in which families receive additional counselling during the duration of the sanction is yielding promising results.
Related News
- Nationwide marches on Sunday to protest against gender-based violence
- Linking animal cruelty to domestic abuse: New training to spot the warning signs
- Belgian lawyer no longer defends perpetrators of sexual violence
With that approach, funded by the city of Antwerp, they work together to address underlying problems. For example, the threat of violence sometimes stems from financial stress, housing problems or drug and alcohol addiction. In cases like these, proper counselling can make a significant difference.
"Still, it is difficult to verify compliance with the restraining order. Perpetrators do not always let themselves be stopped," said Franck.
Soon, however, a pilot project will start in which people with such a ban will wear a GPS tracker. If they go near their homes, an alarm will go off at the appropriate authorities and action can be taken. "It does not offer complete guarantees, but it is part of the puzzle to solve the problems and it can be an access to assistance."
