ASYLUM SEEKERS CHILDREN TRIAL DUTCH STATE

The  Defence for Children International Nederland starts a test trial against the Dutch state because it violates the rights of children. With the trial the initiators support the critics of the Swiss member of parliament Mrs. Zapfl-Helbling, that reports the European Board about asylum seekers policies. She stated that The Dutch went to far in their efforts to scare off asylum seekers and that the Dutch immigration policy is violating the international treaties  for the rights of Children.

Measures like jailing children of asylum seekers before expulsion,  force children that are born and raised in The Netherlands to leave the country, throwing families with young children in the streets, violate the international treaties, according to Mrs. Zapfl-Helbling.

One of the initiators of the trial is an association that fights for the status of thousands of asylum seekers children that are already in the Netherlands for more than 5 years. Most of the children are directly associated with the organisation. The director of the association stresses the fact that the children speak fluent Dutch and are already totally integrated. After expressing these views to the responsible minister of Immigration and Integration Rita Verdonk, the Minister announced that the test trial would not stand a chance and would only raise false hopes.

The director emphasises that not only the Board of Europe is criticising the strict Dutch immigration policy, but also the international organisation Human Rights Watch came with a very critical judgement about the devastating effects of the Dutch policy. Despite the discouraging reaction of Verdonk, the Defence for Children International Nederland is ready to step to the judge: ´Von Clausewitz (military specialist) said that war is politics with military means. Our was with Minister Verdonk is a lobby  with juridical means. We will organise the juridical ´fine fleur´ in the field of child rights.  

 A diverse group of child right-, refugee- and religious organisations started a special web site that asks attention for the large group of jailed children of asylum seekers that never got a residence permit. The web site initiators are collecting signatures to support their cause and on the 21 of June they will hand them over to Minister Verdonk. According one of the refugee organisation a large number of asylum seekers children are jailed for a week to a few months. There is no maximum for the detention of immigrants and according to a spokesman ‘children should have hope for a future’ and ‘they are locked in under worse circumstances than average criminals, because detention of immigrants is focussed on expulsion. The deportation centres are not suitable for children: there is no care, education and under a very strict regime they spend most of their time locked up in their cell.’ more features

April 14, 2006