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“Trying To Overwrite A Human Being”: 52YO Woman Forced Into 250 Tattoos Begins Removal Journey, Stuns Internet
What started as a shocking personal ordeal has now turned into a powerful story of reclaiming identity, as Joke, a 52-year-old Dutch woman, undergoes a long and painful tattoo removal process.
Reportedly, her former partner forcibly inked his name on her body more than 250 times, an act that has left many stunned and deeply unsettled online.
Highlights
- A 52-year-old Dutch woman revealed she was forcibly tattooed with her partner’s name hundreds of times, raising serious concerns about coercive control.
- Now undergoing a lengthy and costly removal process, she is working to erase the physical reminders of her ordeal and start anew.
- Her story has triggered widespread conversations about psychological trauma, partner violence, and the hidden forms of control many women face.
Joke’s story has ignited wider conversations about control, psychological trauma, and the hidden realities of toxic relationships, raising serious questions about women’s safety.
“It’s totally treating women like objects… like marking your territory, right? A face tattoo sounds pretty da*n painful,” one netizen fumed.
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A 52-year-old Dutch woman was reportedly forcibly tattooed around 250 times with her ex-partner’s name
Image credits: Stichting Spijt van Tattoo
Trigger Warning: This article discusses sensitive topics, including domestic violence, which may be distressing for some readers.
Joke’s painful story has recently made headlines after she chose to become the public face of a new national awareness and fundraising campaign in the Netherlands.
Her story gained widespread attention through the “Uit je Hart, uit je Huid” campaign, translated as “From the heart, from the skin,” which was launched on Monday, April 6.
Image credits: Spijt van tattoo
Image credits: gimmehopey
Image credits: Alex28041990
Joke was reportedly subjected to prolonged a**se by her now ex-partner, whose first name is believed to be Hans, before she eventually ended the relationship.
According to local media reports, the man used a tattoo machine purchased from AliExpress to mark her body with his name and initials, and even branded her with phrases such as “property of Hans.”
The tattoos reportedly covered approximately 90% of her body, including her face, breasts, and back.
Image credits: Stichting Spijt van Tattoo
Image credits: amazona_reinax
Some reports further suggest that her ex-partner specifically targeted areas he believed had been “touched by other men,” as an extreme method of control.
The tattoos were often applied during periods when Joke was reportedly struggling with substance misuse and felt unable to defend herself against the a**se and coercion.
After leaving the a**sive relationship, Joke sought help to erase the permanent reminders of her ordeal.
Most parts of Joke’s body, including her face, breasts, and private areas, were covered in ink as a form of manipulation and control
Image credits: HartvNL
Image credits: rickulaa666
The removal process is estimated to cost around €30,000 (approximately $35,000).
The Dutch foundation Spijt van Je Tattoo, or “Regret Your Tattoo,” launched a global crowdfunding campaign that raised over €22,000 ($25,700) in just three days to support her treatment.
In an interview with Dutch media outlet 7SUR7, tattoo removal expert Andy Han, co-founder of the foundation, recalled his first meeting with Joke.
Image credits: HartvNL
Image credits: Stichting Spijt van Tattoo
He told the outlet, “Her ex-partner’s name was everywhere… I didn’t know where to look.”
Andy also emphasized that tattoo removal is “generally ten times more expensive” than getting the tattoo in the first place.
According to the foundation’s official website, “Joke symbolizes a larger group of women who have experienced humiliation, manipulation, and a**se. She is taking this step while still in the midst of her own recovery process. A choice that requires courage and strength.”
“It were meant to erase her identity and replace it with someone else’s name, like a stamp trying to overwrite a human being,” one user wrote
Image credits: HartvNL
Image credits: anjellcanne
“Joke steps forward, not for attention, but to break through something. To make visible what often remains hidden.”
The statement also included a direct quote from the 52-year-old, who shared, “If I can do it, then someone else can too.”
The foundation emphasized that it will allocate €15,000 ($17,500) from the donations and contribute the remaining amount toward her treatment.
Image credits: Allef Vinicius/unsplash (not an actual photo)
It also noted that “any donations above the target will be used to support other women in similar situations.”
Large portions of the tattoos, particularly those on Joke’s face, have already been removed, and she hopes to be completely tattoo-free by the end of 2026.
The organization has also emphasized that while the ink can be removed, the psychological damage often requires long-term care.
The “heartbreaking” case has sparked a widespread conversation around psychological trauma and women’s safety
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Joke’s case has shed light on psychological violence, particularly coercive control and branding as a tactic of domestic a**se used to assert ownership over a partner.
According to Spijt van Je Tattoo, “Approximately 1 in 3 women in the Netherlands will experience psychological violence from a partner or ex-partner at some point in their lives… Because professional tattoo removal is expensive, the foundation focuses on women living on a minimum income.”
Separate data suggests that in 2020 alone, approximately 1.2 million people, roughly 8% of those aged 16 and older, in the Netherlands reported experiencing some form of domestic violence.
Statistics further show that 41% of Dutch women have experienced physical or s**ual violence since the age of 15, a rate 10 percentage points higher than the EU average.
Some reports also suggest that over 350 women in the Netherlands may have been subjected to similar forms of forced tattooing or branding by partners, in cases comparable to Joke’s ordeal.
One comment read, “It’s heartbreaking… still kinda weird to mark someone as an object, people are really nuts sometimes”
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