Man Not Punished After Tattooing His Name 250 Times on Partner’s Body

Joke, a Dutch woman, is seeking the removal of approximately 250 forced tattoos—including her ex-partner’s name and “property of” labels—placed on her body through coercion. This extreme case of domestic control has sparked a nationwide fundraiser in the Netherlands to support victims of forced tattooing and systemic abuse.

Ink is usually a choice. For Joke, it was a weapon. Over several years, her former partner transformed her skin into a ledger of possession, using a tattoo machine purchased from AliExpress to mark her body hundreds of times. This was not an act of artistic expression, but a calculated method of systematic humiliation and control.

The sheer volume of the tattoos—roughly 250 in total—covered nearly every inch of her body. Her ex-partner targeted areas he believed had been touched by other men, specifically her breasts and buttocks, as a means of asserting ownership. He didn’t stop there. the markings extended to her face and décolleté, ensuring that her trauma was visible to the world and to herself every time she looked in a mirror.

It is a chilling manifestation of domestic violence.

The psychological toll of this “marking” is profound. To survive the process and the relationship, Joke attempted to numb her reality with pills and alcohol. The tattoos were not merely skin-deep; they were designed to ensure she was thinking about her partner and their sexual relationship 24/7. This level of coercion creates a state of total dependence and fear, where the victim feels unable to resist the physical violation of their own body.

“For many women, these are not decorations, but lasting reminders of a period of fear and dependence.”

The physical removal of these tattoos is a grueling, expensive, and long-term process. Andy Han, a professional tattoo remover and spokesperson for the foundation Stichting Spijt van Tattoo, describes the initial shock of seeing Joke’s body. He admitted that the extent of the forced tattoos was so overwhelming that he initially did not know where to look.

While a significant portion of the tattoos, particularly those on her face, have already been removed, the journey is far from over. Joke hopes to be completely tattoo-free by the conclude of 2026, but the physical disappearance of the ink does not automatically erase the mental scars. Each session of laser removal is a confrontation with the past.

The Failure of Legal Accountability

Perhaps the most harrowing aspect of Joke’s story is the lack of legal retribution. Despite the evidence of systemic abuse and forced tattooing, her ex-partner has avoided punishment. His defense was simple and devastating: he claimed that Joke “found it fine.”

This defense highlights a dangerous gap in the legal understanding of coercion and emotional manipulation. In cases of extreme domestic abuse, “consent” is often a facade maintained by the victim out of fear or a psychological state of submission. When a partner uses a machine to mark another person 250 times, the claim that the victim was a willing participant ignores the dynamics of power and control inherent in such relationships.

Victims of this type of “marking” often find themselves in a logistical and legal minefield. To fight back against such dismissals in court, many are now seeking specialized legal counsel who understand the nuances of coercive control and domestic violence legislation.

The trauma doesn’t end with the exit from the relationship.

Given that the psychological damage is so ingrained, survivors like Joke require more than just dermatological care. The daily pain of seeing these tattoos serves as a constant trigger. This is why integrated support—combining medical removal with professional psychological counseling services—is the only viable path to recovery.

A Broader Pattern of Coercion

Joke’s story is extreme, but Stichting Spijt van Tattoo emphasizes that she is not alone. Many women across the Netherlands have undergone similar experiences, receiving tattoos representing partners or exes under intense pressure or emotional manipulation. These tattoos act as permanent anchors to a period of abuse, hindering the victim’s ability to start a new life.

To address this, the foundation has launched a crowdfunding campaign. The goal is to provide the financial means for Joke and other women to afford the costly laser treatments required to reclaim their bodies. The fundraiser recognizes that for these women, tattoo removal is not a cosmetic preference—it is a critical step in reclaiming their autonomy.

For those currently trapped in similar cycles of control, finding vetted domestic violence support groups is the most urgent priority to ensure a safe exit from the relationship before further permanent harm occurs.

The process of removal is a slow reclamation of the self. As the ink fades, the survivor begins to see their own skin again, rather than the signature of their abuser.

The case of Joke serves as a stark warning about the invisibility of coercive control. When the law accepts the excuse that a victim “found it fine” while they were being systematically marked as property, it fails the victim twice: first through the abuse, and second through the denial of justice. The road to being “toonbaar”—presentable or visible—to the world again is long, and it requires a community of professionals, from certified laser removal specialists to trauma therapists, to ensure that no woman has to carry the name of her abuser on her skin for the rest of her life.

The ink may be removable, but the precedent set by the lack of punishment remains a stain on the justice system. For those seeking to navigate the complexities of recovery or legal recourse following domestic abuse, the World Today News Directory provides a gateway to verified professionals equipped to handle the physical, legal, and emotional aftermath of such devastating events.