The working group No Mas No More

How did the NMNM Working Group come into being and what does it stand for? Carmen Grefte, Policy Officer for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse at the ZJCN Directorate at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, explains what the objectives of the working group are and what tasks it has taken on.

The start of the NMNM Working Group

Carmen: ‘A temporary working group emerged from the first NMNM Conference in 2018, to  work better on the structure of intra-island care. In 2019, this working group was developed further.

In 2020 the plan then emerged to set up a permanent working group in which all governments of the six islands and VWS are represented. With the aim of working together to address domestic violence and child abuse. This working group was established in January 2022. The NMNM Working Group includes the ministries of Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten, the Public Entities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba and the Ministry of VWS.’

What is on the agenda of the Working Group?

‘’The members of the working group organise the No Mas No More Conference every two years, which will take place again in the autumn of 2023,’ Carmen continues. ‘The working group picks up issues that affect all islands, such as the protection code, the Istanbul Convention and intra-island shelter.’

Learning and sharing expertise together

‘The aim of the working group is that we work together as much as possible in tackling domestic violence and child abuse,’ says Carmen. ‘So that we do not all have to reinvent the wheel and we can learn from each other and make use of each other’s strengths and expertise. It is extremely important to work together towards accession to the Istanbul Convention, to help children grow up safely and to prevent domestic violence as much as possible.’

Do you want to know more about the No Mas No More Working Group? Then send an email to: info@nomasnomore.nl