Unicef: Netherlands often violates children's rights

The Netherlands often violates the rights of children, with especially vulnerable children often falling victim of child rights violations. This is the conclusion of child rights organization UNICEF Nederland and Defense for Children in their Annual Report Children's Rights 2015. According to UNICEF, the results are shocking. Almost 80 percent of children currently in juvenile detention, are in custody waiting for a court ruling. There are 2 thousand children on the waiting list for Youth Care. And a total of 110 children disappeared without a trace from asylum centers. "These children are at high risk of becoming victims of trafficking and exploitation", said Sabine de Jong of UNICEF Nederland "The government is simply responsible for these children and have to investigate the disappearances." "The figures are very worrying", Aloys van Rest, director of Defense for Children, agrees. "In the four major cities, for example, half of all households where there is child abuse still deals with excessive family violence one and a half years after the first report. The number of reports of online sexual abuse actually increased by 77 percent last year to 1,331. The Netherlands has a lot to improve on." In 1995 the Netherlands singed the United Nations' Children's Rights Convention. On May 27th the country will have to show how it has improved in front of the UN Children's Rights Committee in Geneva. Van Rest expects that State Secretary Martin van Rijn of Public Health, Welfare and Sports will have some difficult questions to answer.