Minorities and Human Rights: The Netherlands' far reaching framework to protect them and treat them equally
by Laura Coello
Utrecht, 9 October 2012
When thinking about minorities and human rights most people think of minorities elsewhere. In some far-away country. Such as Tibetans in China, Kurdish in Turkey or Christians in Egypt. But human rights are relevant to everyone, and to every minority; also minorities in the Netherlands.
One of the most important documents on human rights in relation to minorities is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the Netherlands adopted on 11 March 1979.
This covenant limits government’s powers
over its citizens. By signing to it, governments commit themselves to ensure
“all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, the rights
recognized in the Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status. [Additionally,] in states in which ethnic,
religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities
shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their
group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion,
or to use their own language”.
By adhering to the ICCPR, the Netherlands chose the path of cultural, religious and political liberty for all; including its minorities. As part of the European Union, the Netherlands has also adopted the most far-reaching framework to protect minorities: The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic,
Religious and Linguistic Minorities, which was ratified by the Netherlands in 2004 and came into
effect in June 2005. The agreements in the convention meant that minorities, in all European countries, were to have equal rights. This means that minorities are free to manifest their differences; even in the public sphere.
However, these rights and protections mean little if people are not aware of them. For that reason the City of Utrecht, organises the Week of Human Rights. The activities held during this week aim to inform citizens about their human rights and make these more tangible for them. So that they realise that human rights (or their violations) are not something for others or only important elsewhere.
Building further on its human rights tradition, just a month ago, the Netherlands signed the UNESCO Cultural Tradition Treaty. This treaty gives intangible heritage, such as such as Queen's day or the Flower corso at Zundert, official protection. But the treaty on intangible heritage also aims to preserve cultural diversity. The 'Nederlands Centrum voor Volkscultuur en Immaterieel Erfgoed' (Centre for Folklife and Culture) will compile a number of outings that represent intangible cultural traditional; hopefully migrant and minorities input, such as the Summer Carnival of Rotterdam, Chinese New Year, or Jewish Poerim of het Lotenfeest will be represented in this list.
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