Constitution, Article 1 | Equal treatment

“Discrimination on the grounds of gender: that’s what I hear most often as a complaints officer. Take, for example, a woman whose contract wasn’t renewed because she was pregnant. I also receive a lot of reports of discrimination on the grounds of disability. And, of course, on the grounds of ethnic origin. People of colour, for instance, are still more likely to be stopped by the police.”

Many people are afraid to report discrimination: what if I tell someone what my boss said to me – might that cause me trouble? At Art.1, they can share their story in safety. I’ve noticed that it helps victims of discrimination enormously to receive recognition here. Sometimes that’s enough in itself. Sometimes we arrange a meeting with the person responsible. But we may also refer the case to the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. Naturally, only if the person reporting the incident wants us to.

I’m glad people are talking more openly about discrimination. Because it’s about you, too. Everyone has prejudices. Why did we welcome Ukrainian refugees with open arms, but Syrian refugees to a much lesser extent? They were fleeing a war just as much as anyone else. Think about it: why do you view other people in a certain way? Is that really fair? 

It really moves me to hear so many stories about discrimination. But I’m glad that I can do something about it in my own way. Just recently, I had a complainant who’d been turned away from a café because of the colour of his skin. We were then able to arrange a meeting with the owner. He acknowledged that a serious mistake had been made. I love it when I can help bring people back together.”