The report is not totally negative. The ECRI concedes that progress has been made in a number of the fields highlighted in its previous report in December 2000. The Netherlands has become party to several international instruments that are relevant to combating racism and racial discrimination. Work is underway for the establishment of a network of professional local anti-discrimination bureaus throughout the country.

Efforts have been intensified to record and counter discrimination within the criminal justice system. Independent research to monitor racism and racial discrimination nationwide has been commissioned and will be carried out regularly. Attention has also been given to the disadvantaged position of members of ethnic minorities on the labour market, and measures have been taken to tackle racial discrimination in access to places of entertainment.

The main criticisms

But the ECRI says that a number of recommendations made in its December 2000 report have not been implemented, or have only been partially implemented. It says that, partly as a consequence of a number of national and international events, the tone of Dutch political and public debate around integration and other issues relevant to ethnic minorities has experienced a dramatic deterioration since that report, resulting in a “worrying polarisation between majority and minority communities”. Targeting the ethnic minority population only, the integration policies adopted since ECRI's last report have not reflected an idea of integration as a two-way process. Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and other racist materials on the Internet have continued to increase.

Recommendations

In this report, ECRI recommends that the Dutch authorities take further action in a number of areas. It recommends in particular that they should:

• take the lead in promoting a public debate on integration and other issues relevant to ethnic minorities that avoids polarisation, antagonism, and hostility among communities;
•  take steps to counter the use of racist and xenophobic discourse in politics;
• oppose publicly and vigorously all manifestations of Islamophobia;
• review a number of policies in the light of the prohibition of direct and indirect racial discrimination.

 1 2 Next >