Many children on these islands grow up in unsafe or unhealthy conditions. In parts of the Dutch Caribbean there is a lot of poverty. Sometimes there is not enough money to buy clothes or (healthy) food and children go to school hungry. Data on children are limited in many areas, for example on youth care, child abuse and child-poverty.
For many children in the Caribbean part of our Kingdom, growing up safely and with opportunities is not a given. Poverty is common, the cost of living is high, and many parents need multiple jobs to make ends meet. This leads to a lot of stress in families, and child abuse is also common.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child advocates for additional investments in child protection and the prevention of child abuse, for example through campaigns on positive parenting. There are still too many differences with European Netherlands in social services and opportunities for sports and play for children. This also needs to change, according to the Committee.
Children in the Caribbean parts of our kingdom must grow up safely and with opportunities. Our program consists of five pillars:
We work together with local governments and support at three levels:
© UNICEF/van Beek/2023
© UNICEF/van Beek/2023
In recent years, good steps have been taken and beautiful results have been achieved. Here are some highlights:
Thanks to the results of recent years, there is a good foundation for a safer and more promising environment for children on the islands. However, more effort is needed to further sustain and expand the achieved results. While local governments lack sufficient manpower and resources, the islands are not eligible for international aid funds. Therefore, UNICEF Netherlands is seeking additional resources to continue supporting the children on the islands.
The Dutch Kingdom has a European and a Caribbean part. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius/Statia and Saba together with Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten form the Caribbean part, the Netherlands forms the European part. The Kingdom consists of four countries governed by its own government: the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten. Bonaire, Statia and Saba are special municipalities of the Netherlands and together they are referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands, also known as the BES islands. The Dutch government, together with the governments of Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten and the public entities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, is responsible for the children's rights situation within the Dutch Kingdom.