The National Institute for Human Rights has several tasks: advising and urging, conducting research, issuing decisions on discrimination complaints, and providing information. Below you can read what the Institute has already done within these tasks in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Advise and encouraging
The Institute reviews new laws drafted by the government and provides advice. It also encourages politicians in both the European and the Caribbean Netherlands to take action. Below are several examples from recent years.
The Equal Treatment Legislation is very important for the protection of human rights in the European Netherlands. These laws prohibit discrimination. You may not be treated differently because of your religion, belief, political opinion, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or marital status. The Institute has long advocated for the introduction of the Equal Treatment Legislation in the Caribbean Netherlands. Successfully: its implementation is now scheduled for January 1, 2026. This means that from that date onward, people on the islands can turn to the Institute with a discrimination complaint. They can request a decision on whether discrimination has occurred or not.
Poverty is one of the biggest issues in the Caribbean Netherlands. For years, the Institute has emphasized that a social minimum is necessary on the islands. This is the minimum amount of money someone would need, to cover the necessities of life. On July 1, 2024, this social minimum was introduced in the Caribbean Netherlands. As of July 1, 2024, the statutory minimum wage on the islands has also been adjusted to match this social minimum. This is the minimum amount of money someone must earn.
The work is certainly not finished yet. The Institute continues to engage with various ministries, the island governments, and other important parties. The Institute aims to ensure that human rights are central when drafting and implementing policies to combat poverty.
Since 2010, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba have been part of the Netherlands as special municipalities, or officially: “public bodies.” The Dutch government is therefore responsible for upholding human rights on the islands and for implementing human rights treaties. After 2010, the government decided to not immediately apply all legislation to the Caribbean Netherlands. This is also known as legislative restraint. As a result, many laws and regulations that apply in the European Netherlands have not yet been introduced on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. And certain human rights treaties also do not apply yet.
Since 2021, a new principle was introduced: “comply or explain.” This means that laws and regulations are, in principle, the same as in the European Netherlands, unless the government must make exceptions because of the context on the islands. This means that the government must be able to explain what is different about the situation in the Caribbean Netherlands. However, this principle applies only to new legislation and not to existing legislation. This is to prevent the government from becoming overloaded by having to do too much work at once.
Adjusting existing legislation as well
The Institute advocates for the government to fully apply the “comply or explain” principle. Not only for new but also for existing legislation and treaties. This would ensure that these are largely the same in the European and the Caribbean Netherlands.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Istanbul Convention are two examples of treaties the Institute strongly promotes. You can read more about these under the next points. In addition, the Institute focuses on implementing legislation related to the right to a minimum standard of living. This means being able to provide for basic needs such as housing, food, healthcare, and education. Implementing climate regulations for the Caribbean Netherlands is also high on the agenda. And so are rules for protecting people behind closed doors, for example in closed care facilities or prisons.
According to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, people with disabilities must be able to fully participate in society, just like anyone else. The Institute is the supervisor of the Convention in the Netherlands. We monitor whether everyone complies with its agreements.
The Convention has been applied in the European Netherlands since 2016 but still does not apply in the Caribbean Netherlands. Meanwhile, people with disabilities in the Caribbean Netherlands encounter many barriers in daily life. For example, when traveling, accessing education, and finding and keeping a job. For years, the Institute has urged the government to ensure the Convention also applies to this part of the Netherlands, so that the situation for people with disabilities can be improved through policy.
Institute calls on ministry
The Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sport (VWS) is responsible for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the end of 2024, the Institute sent a letter to the House of Representatives to increase the pressure and have the Convention applied. In September 2025, the Institute again stated in a letter to the House of Representatives that the process is taking too long.
You can read more information about the rights of people with disabilities on our page about this topic.
The Istanbul Convention consists of European agreements to prevent and combat violence against women and girls. For years, the Institute has been urging Dutch policymakers to apply this Convention in the Caribbean Netherlands as well. In 2022, the State Secretary for Health, Welfare & Sport announced that this would not happen before 2025. The Institute is monitoring the situation and is increasing pressure in 2025 to make this happen. This would allow the Caribbean Netherlands to benefit from additional measures to protect women and girls.
Research
In 2016, the Institute published a study on human rights in the Caribbean Netherlands. Many people and families in the Caribbean Netherlands live in poverty. Human rights are under pressure. Consider the right to a home, education, healthcare, and the ability to participate fully in society. The study delves deeper into these issues. Some of the conclusions are:
- Unemployment on the islands is relatively low, but a large share of working people earn around the minimum wage. This is not enough to make ends meet, which leads to many people having multiple jobs.
- Since 2010, the quality of education in the Caribbean Netherlands has improved, but alignment with the labor market could be better.
- Many people do not have enough money for adequate housing.
With this study, the Institute urged the Dutch government to take concrete steps to improve human rights in the Caribbean Netherlands. And to reduce the gaps between the European and the Caribbean parts of the Netherlands.
Working visits
To conduct further research, we regularly make working visits to Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. In the past three years, were there at least once a year. Since 2012, we have made a total of eight working visits. During these visits, we speak with residents, local administrators, social organizations, and other stakeholders. This gives us a clear understanding of what is going on on the islands.
By being present regularly, we maintain contact with the people directly affected. And we ensure that their voices are reflected in our work.
Decisions
With the introduction of the Equal Treatment Legislation on January 1, 2026, the Institute will gain a new task in the Caribbean Netherlands: issuing decisions. The Institute will then be able to issue decisions on discrimination complaints submitted by residents. To assess whether discrimination has taken place or not. Or, if more appropriate: start mediation, in which a mediator helps both parties to reach a solution. No formal decisions have been issued yet, but the Institute is actively preparing for this. For example, by hiring Institute Members who can carry out the decisions for the Caribbean Netherlands.
Providing information
By launching this website, the Institute is beginning its education efforts in the Caribbean Netherlands. For the website and for other media, we are also developing videos and radio announcements. These are meant to increase awareness of the rights everyone has and how you can seek justice if you have been discriminated against. It will also raise more awareness of the Institute's activities.
We are also preparing to organize so-called “town hall meetings” and information evenings in the Caribbean Netherlands. Each meeting will have a different human rights theme to explore more in-depth: what is going well, and what could be improved? Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings.
