Utrecht University helps Dutch Ministry of Defence open civilian harm reporting centre

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has opened a civilian harm reporting center where civilians and NGO's can report allegations of harm by Dutch armed forces. This development is a result of a collaboration with a consortium containing researchers from Utrecht University.

The reason for starting this reporting center was the Dutch airstrike in 2015 on Hawija in Iraq. Dozens of civilians were killed. The House of Representatives was only informed years later. Subsequently, Lauren Gould led a transdisciplinary research project at Utrecht University, investigating the civilian harm effects of the 2015 airstrike. 

Lauren Gould and Jessica Dorsey from Utrecht University were involved in the consortium that discussed this with Defence. Citizens and non-governmental organizations can now report to the reporting center. Cases from the past can also be reported and registered retroactively, from the year 2000. 

Gould: This development is a direct result of our engagement with the MoD over the past several years as a consortium of civil society organizations and academia, through which all parties have been able to have frank, constructive conversations and exchange ideas about the value and operationalization of civilian harm mitigation.

Dorsey: The efforts to mitigate civilian harm and increase transparency and accountability within the Dutch Ministry of Defence represents concrete steps toward increasing the legitimacy of Dutch military operations.

According to the Ministry of Defence, this reporting center enables them to collect more information about the consequences of military operations. It supports accountability when necessary and to reduce the chance of civilian casualties in the future.

This article was first published on 13 January by Utrecht University.