WILLEMSTAD - Human Rights Defense Curacao (HRDC) has called on the government to promptly sign the simple accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol.
"With such a step, our country demonstrates to the international community its serious commitment to combating human rights violations and providing protection to people who are forced to flee. Already, 150 countries have joined this convention and/or protocol," the organization stated in a press release.
What kind of country do we want to be?
In a short period, three international entities have severely criticized the government of Curacao for its failure to protect Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Curacao from injustice and inhumane treatment. Despite this criticism, local authorities seem to bury their heads in the sand, hoping that no one notices what is happening.
Human Rights Defense Curacao (HRDC) has closely examined the contents of the damning report from the United States Department of State: Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP), which was published last week. The report specifically highlights the indifference of the local authorities regarding abuses against Venezuelans. Unfortunately, Curacao is classified as not fully meeting and not making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards. Additionally, the coordination with civil society receives an unsatisfactory rating from the State Department. As a result, Curacao has the same classification as Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Djibouti.
Just before the TIP (Trafficking in Persons) report, the Committee against Torture of the Council of Europe (CPT) had already drawn the attention of the government of Curacao to the treatment and inhumane conditions of refugees in the detention center. Earlier this month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights organization also highlighted that Curacao is not doing enough to protect refugees and migrants from human rights violations.
Therefore, on the eve of the International Day against Trafficking in Persons (July 30), HRDC once again brings to the attention of the local authorities that human trafficking is a form of modern slavery. It is a crime! It is therefore incomprehensible that the government rightly condemns transatlantic slavery but does not take the necessary measures to curb or stop this form of modern slavery. Since its establishment in 2019, HRDC has warned the government about its indifference to victims of human trafficking and the lack of protection against human rights violations.
Local NGOs like HRDC may be ignored by the Curacao government, but international organizations cannot. They continue to expose the local human rights abuses.
Curacao would do well to promptly sign the simple accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol. With such a step, our country shows the international community its serious commitment to combating human rights violations and providing protection to people who are forced to flee. Already, 150 countries have joined this convention and/or protocol. In short, it is high time to ask ourselves: What kind of country do we want to be?