Fundamental Rights in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Equivalent Protection in all Parts of the Kingdom

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is faced with the prospect of a two-tier human rights system. In many cases, human rights treaties that have been signed by the Kingdom only apply in the Netherlands. Dutch citizens in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom thus have fewer rights than their fellow citizens in the European part of the Kingdom. The AIV therefore argues that the government in The Hague needs to work more effectively with the other countries of the Kingdom – Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten – to meet its international obligations in the area of human rights.