Amsterdam [Netherlands], August 23 : The violent murder of a Dutch teenager, 17-year-old Lisa, who had been biking home after a night out with her friends sparked outrage across the Netherlands and Belgium, EuroNews reported.
'We all have 24 hours in our day. 24 hours that we are free to use how and where we choose,' Dutch actor and author Nienke's Gravemade wrote in a post that went viral on social media.
A poem written by Gravemade has been widely shared on social media, where she wrote how women have the right to feel safe and move freely at night. The text is accompanied by a hashtag, translating to #reclaimthenight, as per EuroNews.
The police were able to locate the teenager using her phone, but all help came too late. When the dispatched team arrived at the scene at 4:15am (local time), Lisa's lifeless body was found by the side of the road in Duivendrecht, nearby Amsterdam, EuroNews reported, citing local media.
On Friday afternoon, Dutch police announced a suspect had emerged in the investigation into Lisa's death. The 22-year-old man was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of involvement in a serious sexual offence in Weesperzijde, a neighbourhood in Amsterdam, as per EuroNews.
"The red handbag. I keep thinking about the red handbag. How it dangled from her handlebars as she rode through the night. A night that belonged to her too, because we all have 24 hours in our day. 24 hours that we are free to use how and where we choose," Gravemade wrote in a post on Instagram, as per EuroNews.
Early on Wednesday, Lisa left the centre of Amsterdam around 3:30AM after a night out with friends, and was cycling back home to the nearby town of Abcoude. After she noticed someone was following her, the 17-year-old called the national emergency number.
Another Dutch author Lois Kruidenier took to social media to share an experience that widely resonates with women and emphasised that the blame should not rest on women, but on the perpetrator, as per EuroNews.