Human Wrongs Watch
12 November 2018 – The Dutch authorities have been accused by UN experts of racism in the country’s welfare system, after seven children of African descent were forcibly removed from their parents.

UN Photo/Manuel Elias | E. Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on racism, xenophobia and related intolerance
In May, police took the children into care, including a breastfeeding infant – reportedly without “duly considering their best interests, preserving the family structure or first providing instructions on how to combat problems in the home,” the experts said.
“This family separation has caused immense traumaand psychological damage and we are deeply troubled about the impact on the children’s physical and mental wellbeing,” said E. Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and Michal Balcerzak, Chairperson of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.


