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UN claims of asylum seekers’ ‘inhumane’ treatment provoke Dutch ire
Published time: December 17, 2014 20:52
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The Netherlands, in the throes of an immigration crisis, has accused
the UN of publishing ‘one-sided information’ after its senior
officials accused the government of “trying to score political points”
by “forcing” failed asylum seekers into homelessness.
"The Netherlands endeavors to prevent foreign nationals without lawful
residence ending up on the street," immigration minister Fred Teeven
wrote to AFP.
The uproar from UN officials came after the central government
recently refused to release €15 million in funds for local authorities
to provide accommodation and food for those asylum seekers, who have
been deemed to lack genuine humanitarian reasons for staying in the
Netherlands without a visa
Asylum seekers await their eviction by the police at a makeshift camp
in Amsterdam November 30, 2012. (Reuters/Michael Kooren)
“In these dark days before Christmas, it is appalling that the Dutch
Government will not even commit less than 0.01 per cent of its yearly
budget to help people living in absolute misery and poverty,” said the
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Mr. Philip Alston.
READ MORE: UN urges EU to take refugees despite anti-migrant protests
The country of 17 million people has experienced a spike in arriving
asylum seekers, with 12,000 – more than in any year since 2001 –
arriving in the first six months of this year.
The countries of origin are some of the most troubled places on Earth:
with Syria and Eritrea at the top by some distance, then Somalia, Iraq
and Afghanistan.
The presence of illegal migrants – and there are thought to be more
than 100,000 in the country, according to the Dutch Refugee Council -
has generated social friction.
Asylum seekers await their eviction by the police at a makeshift camp
in Amsterdam November 30, 2012. (Reuters/Michael Kooren)
A demonstration in support of Gaza in the summer in The Hague morphed
into a pro-ISIS rally, with the crowd shouting anti-Semitic slogans.
This was followed by a counter-rally of Pro Patria, a far-right group,
which marched through an immigrant-dominated suburb in the same city.
Right-wing libertarian leader, and noted anti-Islamist Geert Wilders,
whose party – already the fourth biggest in parliament - threatens to
make gains in the next election has dominated the debate. One of his
proposals in the past months has included forcing immigrants from
Islamic states to sign a document renouncing Shariah law.
The center-right government has gone on the defensive, passing tough
immigration measures to avoid being seen as soft.
The UN has condemned this political posturing.
“Politicians in the Netherlands have been trying to score political
points at the expense of homeless irregular migrants in the national
debate about immigration,” the UN Special Rapporteur on the human
rights of migrants, François Crépeau, said Tuesday.
“Human migration patterns will not change by letting migrants sleep on
the streets.”
The international human rights rapporteurs, independent experts, who
are authorized by the United Nations, have called for the government
to allocate more money to provide basic amenities.
“Forcing the most vulnerable people into homelessness during the
harshness of winter is particularly egregious,” said the UN Special
Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha.
People hold a banner reading "We are here to stay" during a protest
against the Islamic State (IS) group and against antisemitism in The
Hague, The Netherlands, on August 10, 2014. (AFP Photo/Bart
Maan/Netherlands out)
“Emergency services such as homeless shelters, and adequate housing
alternatives, must be made available to migrants, regardless of their
legal status in the country.”
But the government says that any measures should be taken by Europe as
a whole, following an EU meeting of foreign ministers, scheduled for
February or March, and has reiterated that it will not provide any
extra money until then.
"Calling for measures to be adopted is at this stage premature," said
a statement from the immigration ministry.
Received on Wed Dec 17 2014 - 16:48:14 EST