“The most important thing is that we relieve families,” says Evy Khouw, one of the initiators of On behalf of the Family. “Whether people want media attention or not, a plan is needed anyway. People quickly think they don’t need us if they don’t want anything with the media, but then you also need a plan.”
Hectic
Because how do you deal with journalists who call you, approach you via social media or go to the school of your children? What do you do if unsolicited photos or personal information is published? “Someone who happens to something is already in a hectic situation, people have no idea how to deal with it,” says Khouw.
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What kind of help a family gives on behalf of the Family depends on the wishes and needs of the family itself. About half of the families did not find it a problem when media sought contact, the other half were not happy with that. This is apparent from the evaluation report.
The advisor can provide people who want nothing to do with the media with advice to keep journalists at bay. People who are positive about media attention can, for example, be helped with drawing up a statement from the family.
Need for support
“In most cases the media advisor will not speak in the media,” says Khouw. Often there is someone within the circle of loved ones who wants to take on that role. “Our people can then coach and guide them.”
In the past six months, a media advisor was employed 33 times to assist a family. The first three months were only about missing cases, then the help was also used for other cases. “We notice that there is a great need for this type of support, otherwise we would not have had so many things in the past six months,” says Khouw.
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Help in 33 cases
On behalf of the Family, 33 cases were offered support in the period from June to the end of December 2019. It concerned 15 missing persons, 4 traffic accidents, one house fire with a fatal outcome, 4 media perception cases, 1 case where a lot of media attention was paid to a court hearing, 3 murder or manslaughter, 2 violent crimes, 2 sexual offenses and 1 time it went for scams.
Of these cases, 18 were registered by the police on behalf of the Family, 14 by Victim Support Netherlands and 1
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The majority of the cases took place in the central and eastern Netherlands and in the Rotterdam region.
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“I was immediately phoned”
Roek Lips, one of the other initiators of Namens van Familie, was unexpectedly confronted with a lot of media attention. His 18-year-old son Job disappeared in 2011 when he went swimming in the sea of San Sebastián in Spain and got into trouble due to the strong current. “I was immediately phoned from all sides and it immediately broke out on social media.”
For a long time, the body of Job was sought in vain, so that the matter remained in the spotlight. And not only in the Dutch media, but also the Spanish press. “Then messages appear in the Spanish media that you can’t even read.”
Powerless
The pressure on families has only increased due to online media and social media, says Evy Khouw. “Especially the speed makes sure that families have an even more powerless feeling than before.” Lips also knows that feeling: “At a certain point, a photo of Job was picked from the internet without being asked. We thought that was terrible, because we knew that Job would never have chosen that photo himself.”
Lips, at that time NPO3’s network manager, received help from people from his network who could advise him in the field of media. “The average Dutch person does not have those contacts, of course. I later saw similar stories in the media, and then realized that people really need help with this.”
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Helped the police better
And not only for the victims and those close to them that guidance is great, the police also benefit. “We also need the family for the investigation, for example, for a missing person,” says Ad Sanders of the Central Netherlands police. “Because they can give us information about the missing person. If the family gets help with the media, such a family is just a little better in balance. They can help us better.”
The police can also consult with the media adviser about possible statements from the police or the family, Sanders says: “Sometimes it is good in the context of the investigation if the family does not share certain information with the media, or there can be you talk about it. ”
Independent
On behalf of the Family operates under the wings of Victim Support Netherlands and works closely with the police, the Public Prosecution Service and, for example, when missing abroad, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But the organization is independent. “For example, if people felt that the police were not doing enough in their case, they could simply say so,” says Sanders.
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“We have noticed that journalists also like having a point of contact,” says Khouw: “Then they don’t have to call the family themselves, but can ask their questions to someone who understands how the media works.”
The organization of Khouw now has 12 media advisors available. They only take action after a referral from, for example, the police or Victim Support. Victims and their relatives cannot register themselves. It can concern all kinds of things. “Think, for example, of victims and relatives of missing persons, violent crimes, sexual crimes or disasters,” says Khouw. “There must be a lot of media attention and great personal suffering.”
Personal experience an advantage
Roek Lips himself also assisted a number of families as an advisor and noticed that his own experience was an advantage. “You recognize each other in the panic and the grief. And of course it raises your own grief, but you know in advance that you will be confronted with similar stories.”
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