WILLEMSTAD - The Ombudsman is once again drawing the government's attention to the disconnection of drinking water in households with children. This follows the appellate court ruling in the Netherlands, stating that households with children should no longer be disconnected from water. 

"This definitive ruling by the court is very important for all children within the Kingdom, considering the provisions of the Statute for the Kingdom. The Ombudsman will present this development to the Curaçao government and awaits what implications this judgment will have for local minors," stated the Ombudsman. 

The Curaçao Ombudsman, who has also served as Children's Ombudsman since 2020, has been concerned for years about local families losing access to clean drinking water. He has raised this issue with the government on multiple occasions. 

Hende-i-Medio-Ambiente (HiMA) which stands for humans and environment, indicated that, on average, water is still disconnected from one household per week. Yvonne Olf, chairperson of HiMA, mentioned that they are collaborating with authorities in the Netherlands to further address the issue in Curaçao. 

In the March 19th ruling this year, the Court of Appeal in The Hague ruled that disconnecting households with children from water is contrary to international treaty provisions, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.