Oranjestad, St. Eustatius – From June 8 to 12, 2026, members of the No Mas
No More (NMNM) working group gathered in Sint Maarten and St. Eustatius
for their annual work conference. The conference brought together
representatives from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, Sint
Maarten, and the Dutch ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS),
Education, Culture and Science (OCW), and Justice and Security (JenV).
The goal was to strengthen cooperation in combating domestic violence
and child abuse.
During the week, participants worked on topics such as the future ratification and
implementation of the Istanbul Convention, temporary barring orders, inter-island
cooperation for victim support and early detection of risk factors related to gender-
based violence. In addition, participants worked on agreements for a common
system to better collect data across all islands.
The participants visited various organizations in Sint Maarten and St. Eustatius.
They visited local organizations such as Women’s Shelters, Victim Support
Services, and the Court of Guardianship, to learn about local initiatives. There
was also a special exchange between the NMNM working group and the
Multidisciplinary Consultation (MDO) of St. Eustatius, where they gained insight
into how local organizations collaborate and coordinate cases.
For Carmen Grefte (NMNM Chairwoman) and Ereina Hunt-Gorden (St. Eustatius
representative), the conference highlighted the value of uniting professionals to
create a Kingdom-wide approach against domestic violence and child abuse.
No Mas No More is a Kingdom working group that promotes cooperation between
the six Caribbean islands and the Netherlands to prevent and address domestic
violence and child abuse.