The National Institute for Human Rights will appoint two Deputy Board Members for the Caribbean Netherlands: Ms Solange Christiaan and Mr Gerald Simmons-de Jong. The Council of Ministers approved their appointments today, following a proposal by the State Secretary for Justice and Security, Arno Rutte. The new Deputy Board Memebers have been appointed for a period of three years.
One of the tasks of the National Institute for Human Rights is to assess, in individual cases, whether discrimination has occurred. The basis for this task lies in the so-called Equal Treatment Legislation. This Equal Treatment Legislation is expected to apply to Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba as of 1 January 2026. In line with this development, Christiaan and Simmons-de Jong will decide on discrimination complaints on the islands.
Strengthening the role of the Institute in Caribbean Netherlands
Both Deputy Board Members bring with them broad (legal) knowledge and experience in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands. With their appointment, the Institute will further expand its activities and expertise in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Solange Christiaan has been working for ten years as a judge at the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Prior to this, she worked as a judge in various locations in the European part of the Netherlands and as a lawyer at Houthoff Buruma N.V. in Rotterdam. She is also a lecturer at the University of Curaçao and a board member of the Shimaruku Foundation. This foundation is committed to supporting vulnerable children and young mothers in Ser’i Papaya on Curaçao.
Gerald Simmons-de Jong is the founder of the law firm DEJONG. The firm has offices on Saba and Sint Maarten and will soon also open its doors on Bonaire. In addition to being a lawyer, Simmons-de Jong is also a mediator and conducts an average of approximately 15 mediations per year, mainly on Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten. He is also an external PhD candidate at the University of Curaçao (Da Costa Gomez University) in the field of intergovernmental supervision of the BES islands and teaches at the university in the areas of Kingdom Law, Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. In the past, he also worked for many years as a deputy judge at the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, as well as a policy adviser to the Public Entity of Saba. In the latter role, he was involved, among other things, in the implementation of the Equal Treatment Legislation in Caribbean Netherlands.