III. Main areas of concern and recommendations

B. General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12 of the Convention)

Non-discrimination

24. The Committee welcomes the Municipal Anti-Discrimination Services Act, which allows citizens to address reports of discrimination to local Anti-Discrimination Services. However, it is concerned that children in marginalized and disadvantaged situations such as refugee children, asylum seeking children, undocumented children, children belonging to ethnic minority groups, children with disabilities, chronically ill children and LGBTI children continue to face discrimination. The Committee is also concerned that children in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom do not enjoy the same rights as children in the European Netherlands.

25. The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure that all children under the State party’s jurisdiction enjoy the same rights without any discrimination on the basis of their nationality, residency status, ethnicity, identity, health, disability, sexual identity and orientation throughout the Kingdom. It urges the State party to pay particular attention to children in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom who do not have access to the same rights as children in the European Netherlands.

Link to full text of the report: Concluding Observations-CRC-Netherlands-AUE-2015-eng