(No) Opportunity board for children in emergency shelters
The number of children in emergency shelters has increased by 65% in one year, according to the second "Children's Rights in Motion" monitor, which the Children's Rights Collective will publish on October 22, 2024. The Children's Rights Collective considers the situation of children in emergency shelters unacceptable. Whether children's rights are respected in emergency shelters is a game of chance. Therefore, the Children's Rights Collective is symbolically erecting a large game board on the lawn in front of the House of Representatives. On the life-size game board, inspired by the traditional Dutch game of Snakes and Ladders, politicians and passersby are invited at noon to play the new Dutch (No) Chances game. By rolling a die and moving on the board, they experience firsthand how little chance children have of having their rights respected.
Judgment of the Court of Appeal
The Hague Court of Appeal previously ruled that children may not be placed in emergency shelters unless their specific needs are met. Although the shelters do not consistently meet these requirements, there are currently 5,566 children in them. "Children's rights are being violated daily in emergency shelters, which is why we believe children should be immediately removed from them," says Marc Dullaert, chair of the Children's Rights Collective. "The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has already reprimanded the Netherlands for the poor situation of children in emergency shelters. Our new monitor today shows that the Netherlands is doing far too little to improve this. In fact, the situation for children is worsening now that an asylum crisis is being declared. If the Distribution Act is repealed, even more children will end up in emergency shelters."
More and more children
At the beginning of July 2023, there were still 3,378 children in emergency shelters. Despite all the investigations and calls from government inspectorates that children are being harmed in emergency shelters, that number had increased by 65% to 5,566 by the beginning of July 2024. The number of children in emergency shelters has more than doubled in the past two years. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Netherlands, made an unequivocal appeal to the Netherlands two years ago: prioritize the immediate removal of children and their families from emergency shelters and invest the necessary resources in improving and expanding child-friendly shelters, so that shelters do not become overcrowded and children are not frequently transferred to other locations.
Children's rights trampled on
Asylum reception for children in the Netherlands is a path fraught with obstacles. It depends on chance whether a child ends up in an emergency shelter or a regular asylum seekers' center. Whether or not they can attend school. Whether or not they have access to medical care and vaccinations. Whether or not they have to move several times a year. Children in emergency shelters face extremely harmful living conditions every day.
Child-friendly care
"Child-friendly asylum reception is a child's right and should not be a gamble," says chairman Marc Dullaert. "Emergency shelters are completely unsuitable for children. The Distribution Act must be implemented so that small-scale and child-friendly reception can be established as quickly as possible and the Netherlands complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
Monitor Children's Rights in Motion
The Dutch Children's Rights Collective uses its online monitor, "Children's Rights in Motion," to annually assess the government's progress in implementing the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Children's Rights in Motion visualizes data and policy changes from the past year. It highlights ten areas where progress is being made and where much more action is needed.
About the Children's Rights Collective
Kinderpostzegels, along with the Augeo Foundation, Defence for Children, the National Youth Council (NJR), Save the Children, and Terre des Hommes, is part of the Children's Rights Collective, with the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) acting as an advisor. Numerous social organizations working with or for children are also members of the collective. Together, we give a voice to children's rights.
Top 5 Child Rights Violations in Emergency Shelters:
1. Moving a lot
Children must move six to eight times during their asylum process. Frequent moves are detrimental to a child's development. They experience attachment issues and fall behind in their learning.
2. Long wait for education
The law stipulates that a child must be able to attend school within three months. This is very often not achieved. Not all emergency shelters have a school nearby. Or schools may be completely out of space. As a result, children are left without education for months. School provides children with stability and structure. These children are eager to learn and progress. Relocations can also make it a long time before you can start at a new school.
3. Lack of privacy and security
Children often stay with many people in one room or smaller spaces with partitions through which everything can be heard. Children need space to retreat to process new impressions and experiences, and to feel safe. There's also a lot of noise, and poor sleep leads to poor concentration at school and a depressed mood.
4. Lack of health care
Access to medical and mental health care at emergency shelters is inadequate, meaning children don't receive the care they need. Children miss their vaccinations and aren't always screened for infectious diseases like whooping cough or measles. They also have to wait long periods before seeing a doctor.
5. Lack of a confidant
Emergency shelters lack a point of contact and a listening ear for children. If a child wants to talk to someone, they end up on a waiting list for months.