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Human rights are codified in theDutch constitution. Together with other European states, theNetherlands is often at or near the head in internationalcivil liberties andpolitical rights rankings.[1] Per year there are about 6,000 victims of and 100 convictions for human trafficking.[2][3] Despite this, the Netherlands is considered to have one of the best human rights records in the world.
The first chapter of the Dutch constitution codifies the rights of all inhabitants of the Netherlands. These are bothnegative and positive rights as well asdemocratic rights. This includes a ban ondiscrimination (the first article of the Netherlands), thefreedom of religion,freedom of speech,freedom of association andfreedom of assembly and theright to privacy. These are limitations on government, which citizens can enforce these classical civil rights directly at the judge. Additionally there are social rights such as theright to housing, social security, health care, education and employment. These are duties of the government towards its citizens, but these cannot be enforced by a judge. Democratic rights include the passive and active right tovote. The Netherlands has bannedcapital punishment during peace time and war time. TheMinistry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is responsible for the constitution.
In the Netherlands there are still some legacy laws conflicting with the freedom of speech.Lèse-majesté andBlasphemy law (amongst others), the latter was officially abolished on February 1, 2014.[4]
The Netherlands is signatory to all relevantinternational human rights instruments such asEuropean Convention on Human Rights,Rome Statute (for theInternational Criminal Court) and theUniversal Declaration on Human Rights,European Convention on Torture and theEuropean Social Charter.
Several institutions are involved in the protection of classical human rights, in addition to theSupreme Court, theCommission Equal Treatment (non-discrimination), theBoard Protection Personal Information (privacy) and theNational Ombudsman.
In 2007Amnesty International criticised the Dutch government of several human rights issues, includingwar crimes in theIraq War, the treatment of allegedterrorists and the detention ofmigrants, especially children and an incident surrounding a fire in anasylum seeker detention centre.[5] In 2005 The USDepartment of State observed several problems with human rights such as the societal discrimination and violence against religious and ethnic minorities, especially after the murder ofTheo van Gogh and thehuman trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation.[6]
Human trafficking is a widely recognised problem. TheNetherlands is listed by theUNODC as a top destination for victims ofhuman trafficking.[7]
In the Netherlands, it is estimated that there are from 1,000 to 7,000 trafficking victims a year. Most police investigations relate to legal sex businesses, with all sectors of prostitution being well represented, but with window brothels being particularly overrepresented.[8][9][10] In 2008, there were 809 registered trafficking victims, 763 were women and at least 60 percent of them were forced to work in thesex industry. All victims from Hungary were female and were forced into prostitution.[11][12]Out of allAmsterdam's 8,000 to 11,000 prostitutes, more than 75% are fromEastern Europe,Africa andAsia, according to a former prostitute who produced a report about the sex trade in Amsterdam, in 2008.[13] An article inLe Monde in 1997 found that 80% of prostitutes in the Netherlands were foreigners, and 70% had no immigration papers,[14][15] though E.U. citizens need no paperwork other than valid identification, under the E.U's freedom of movement of goods, labor and persons policies.
In 2000, the Netherlands established theDutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children to report on the progress of the Dutch Government in combating human trafficking, which produced its first report in 2002.[16]
By 2017 it is estimated that more than 6000 people in the Netherlands are human trafficked each year, 4000 largely local women for sexual slavery and abuse, and 2000 largely foreign men for work byorganized crime groups.[17] Each year 1320 Dutch minor girls are being trafficked for sexual slavery and abuse.[3]
According to the Council of Europe anti-torture Committee, there were several violations of human rights committed by Dutch officials.[18]
In 2009, two police officers fromBleiswijk approached a homeless man sleeping on the grass in a town park, detained him, and drove him away to a place north ofMoerkapelle. They then told him to dig his own grave, whilst threatening him with guns. The homeless man was left there. The incident came up only because one of the policemen has reported the incident to his superior. Both policemen were discharged and sentenced to six months in prison.[19][20]
People on welfare in the Netherlands can get a house visit by inspectors without any concrete suspicion of fraud required. Because forcing entry would be in conflict with the right to privacy, the citizen in question is asked permission to enter. However, if entry is denied, they can be cut on their income.[21]It is not accepted for the residents to make video recordings of this event in their own home. A significant large part of the Dutch population is potentially exposed these privacy invasive measures as they do not only apply to people on unemployment welfare but other benefits as well.
The Netherlands hosts several international human rights institutions.The Hague is home to theInternational Criminal Court, theYugoslavia Tribunal, theInternational Court of Justice,Rwanda Tribunal.
