Statement of the Raad van Kerkenin the Netherlands during the visit to the detention centre Rotterdam on the 15th of May 2013

Move forward with the humanitarian aspect in foreigner’s law

The Dutch system of asylum policy did not work out completely. Every week volunteers of the churches come across staggering examples of people whose rights are violated daily due to the asylum policy. They come across harrowing situations: people who are mentally ill put into detention centres, children who are heavily handicapped in detention centres , family members who are expelled separately from their families…..these are examples of an inhumane policy and the execution of this gone off the rails. Some examples are the following:

-In the detention centre of Rotterdam there a man, who has a staying permit for over a twenty years, is on a hunger strike because he will be expelled as he has worked in a paid job for a few months abroad.

-In Zeist there is a man who is very mentally- ill because of war trauma and a trauma of our asylum policy. After a suicide attempt he is locked up in isolation. He covers himself with excrements. The staff does not see any possibility to change this situation. Being put in isolation as well as to let him be covered in excrements is inhumane.

-In Katwijk a lady has been paralyzed on one side due to a brain haemorrhage. Her daughter of three years old is handicapped, she cannot walk and yet the door has to be locked, otherwise there is a fine of 15 euros.

These are the last weeks’ examples.

Foreigners are not being prepared on a significant future, here or elsewhere, nor are they enabled to finish an education or to work. Instead these people are pushed over the edge into criminality because of exclusion and marginalization. To have no control over this pushes people to go on a hunger strike or thirst strike, or to suicide, aggression for which they are being punished then again. People get disorders, become a burden and their humanity is severely affected.

A lot of organizations like Amnesty International, the Ombudsman, refugee organizations and also the Raad van Kerken have protested frequently against this chain of events. The Raad van Kerken is inspired by Christian ideas in which there is attention for vulnerable people. Together with a lot of other partners the Raad engages itself for a society in which the government treats everyone with dignity. This treatment with dignity is also meant for refugees, as they are more vulnerable than others.

Because of the recent events the Raad van Kerken urges the Dutch government to review the asylum policy and the execution of this policy thoroughly, and to move forward with the humanitarian aspect in the foreigner’s law. Asylum seekers and their chances for a promising future should be the central points of attention. This also goes for the people who eventually cannot stay in the Netherlands, as every human being is important.

Raad van Kerken

The Netherlands

15th of May 2013