Image
Dutch constitution of 1848 (Photo: Wikipedia/Vera de Kok)
- Credit:
Dutch constitution of 1848 (Photo: Wikipedia/Vera de Kok)
Wednesday, 21 October 2015 - 08:43
Refugees provided with Arabic draft of constitution
Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs has decided to have the Dutch constitution translated to Arabic to make it easier for the large number of refugees to understand. The translated constitution will be distributed to all the municipalities in the Netherlands, who can hand it out to refugees.
"These people arrive in a country that is unknown to them. I think it's good to inform them in their own language about the basic rules of our society." Plasterk said in a statement. "In our constitution, for example, the freedom of expression, equality between men and women, that people of different sexual orientation can live side by side in freedom and that everyone has the freedom to profess their own religion.
The translated first chapter of the constitution, which contains the fundamental rights, will be distributed to municipalities next week. The translation of the entire constitution will be available early in November.
The translation will be made digitally available to municipalities. They can publish the translated constitution on their websites or print it and hand a physical copy to the refugees. The Arabic translation of the constitution will also be available on Rijksoverheid.nl.
The Dutch constitution has already been translated into English, French and Spanish.