Letter about children’s rights from Plasterk to UNICEF

Here you may find (part of) a trnslated letter from Minister Plaster to UNICEF

Dear
In your letter of October 10, 2013 you asked to draw attention to the progress of the improvement of the children’s situation in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom . You call for cooperation and point at the urgency of the situation of children . On behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, Welfare and Sport , the State Secretary of Security and Justice, the Secretary of Education, Culture and Science , the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and the Minister for Housing and National Service I want to inform you in this letter about of the progress towards the actions around the children .

Caribbean Netherlands
Regarding Caribbean Netherlands the departments as well as in the European Netherlands are responsible for their own policy in the field of children’s rights. As you can read in my policy response of 19 June 20132 on your reports to parliament, currently already  much has been done to improve in the Caribbean Netherlands . Children’s situation.
But there is also much more to be done . To achieve improvements is a joint responsibility of ministries and an integrated approach to policy-making and implementation is required. I agree with you that an integrated approach is of great importance . The key point in the coming period is therefore how we can connect  actions even more with each other. How we will  ensure that all facilities that have been affected come together in an effective whole, where are the bottlenecks and how to give an impetus to the comprehensive youth policy that is being executed  locally?
Although we have discussed and addressed a large number of issues relating to children’s rights situation in the Caribbean Netherlands interdepartmental, partly in response to your letter ,we have  still more firmly put the children on the interdepartmental agenda. In order to achieve effective measures , the role of the public entities and organizations therebyis  also of great importance.
During the CN week of 28 October and 1 November 2013, the Interior Ministry and the three public bodies brainstormed about a comprehensive youth policy, about the issues in this respect and about the steps needed to achieve improvements.
In the coming period the departments along with the public bodies are working on a shared recognition of the problem . Your reports will be an important source of information here . In addition, public bodies and departments will make clear what they are doing at the moment regarding the children . On this basis will be considered what additional actions are needed from the public bodies and departments , and where we can reinforce each other jointly. The aim is to discuss the results of this during the next CN week in June 2014.
Given the importance of an integrated approach , I am pleased that , in close cooperation with public bodies , which play an important role with regard to the children , there is working going on to improve .

Yours sincerely,

The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations ,

Dr. R.H.A. Plasterk