Human Rights in the Netherlands

Human Rights in the Netherlands

From Kompas

In 1991 a Dutch national was asked by a private university in Indonesia to teach at the university. While he was working in Indonesia he married an Indonesian woman. They had a child, which has Dutch citizenship.

His working contract expired in February 1995, so he had to return to the Netherlands because his permit was no longer valid. As a married couple they aspired to live in the Netherlands permanently. But they were disappointed -- a problem they never thought of emerged.

Only a few weeks before their departure to the Netherlands they were informed that the Dutch government would not give his wife a permit to stay in the Netherlands. The result is that his wife and their child are left behind in Indonesia. There is no possibility of the couple being able to live together, although this is one of the human rights principles.

One of the reasons for refusing the wife a permit is that the husband was still unemployed. As a consequence the family would need to be provided with social benefits. Because of financial constraints the Dutch government is trying hard to reduce the number of people living on the dole. Thus the immigration regulations are very strict.

The Dutch government has disappointed him very much. The inhuman immigration rule has divided the family. In our opinion, the Dutch government has denied them their fundamental rights to live as a family.

We have great difficulty explaining the matter to our friends here, but we think the Dutch Embassy is a better position to clarify the problem.

HENK SMIT

JUUL SMIT BEERDA

JAN POST HOSPERS

TRIJNIE PLATTJE

Salatiga, Central Java