Over 7,000 children in emergency asylum shelters years after court ruling banning this
Nearly four years after a Dutch court ordered the government to remove children from emergency asylum shelters because they do not meet the basic European standards for dignified reception, the number of children in these shelters has tripled. Over 7,000 children are sleeping in emergency shelters, which often comprise little more than a stretcher in a sports hall, children’s rights organizations told NU.nl.
The court ruling was in October 2022. “Nothing has happened since then. The number of children has tripled,” Marc Dullaert of the Collective for Children’s Rights, which covers various groups in the Netherlands dedicated to protecting children, told the newspaper. In July 2022, 2,282 children were living in emergency shelters. In April of this year, that number was 7,019, about the same as in 2025
Staying in emergency shelters causes stress, anxiety, learning delays, and attachment problems for children, Dullaert said. Children in emergency shelters have to move frequently, sometimes six to eight times during their asylum procedure. They have very little privacy, no security, and no opportunity to make friends and build relationships. These kids have to wait months before they can attend school, and often don’t have access to medical care.
According to Dullaert, the Dutch government has acknowledged the problem, but does not seem to be doing anything about it. The topic of child asylum seekers is not even on the agenda for an Asylum and Migration meeting on May 13. “Imagine putting 7,000 Dutch children and families in these kinds of locations right now,” Dullaert told the newspaper, imagining the outrage that would spark. “Apparently, we think that is okay for children from other countries.”
The Children’s Rights Collective again urged the government to take action and improve the conditions in which children are living in asylum shelters. “It requires political will and priority,” Dullaert said. “It seems as if that is lacking.” The collective raised this same alarm in 2024.
