THE HAGUE - The Dutch government has announced ambitious steps following apologies from both Prime Minister Rutte and King Willem-Alexander last year regarding the slavery history. With this, the Netherlands hopes to increase awareness, recognition, and knowledge, but also to combat discrimination and racism. This is stated in a letter that the Dutch government presented to the House of Representatives on Monday.
One of the key initiatives is a low-threshold subsidy scheme for societal initiatives. For this purpose, a one-time amount of €100 million is made available. This amount is divided into three areas: €33.3 million for mainland Netherlands, €33.3 million for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, and €33.3 million for Suriname. The scheme is designed with active involvement of descendants and other stakeholders to ensure that the money is spent on solutions for structural inequality.
In addition to financial support for societal initiatives, other measures are also being taken according to the Dutch Caribbean Government Service. For example, €14.9 million is reserved for a temporary scheme allowing descendants to change their surnames free of charge. Furthermore, funds are allocated to organize campaigns to combat discrimination and racism, and for research into the impact of slavery history on contemporary society.
The Commemorative Year of Slavery History, running from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, is an important part of these efforts. During this year, 200 projects have already been supported in mainland Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. As this year comes to an end, attention to slavery history will continue.