WILLEMSTAD - Minister of Justice Shalten Hato has launched an attack on Amnesty International, accusing the human rights organization of portraying Curaçao in a negative light through "symbolic politics." At the same time, America has grouped Curaçao together with countries like Afghanistan in terms of combating human trafficking.
In a letter to Parliament, Hato expressed irritation over the report released by Amnesty in February, which highlighted the poor treatment of Venezuelans who have sought refuge in Curaçao due to the situation in their country. As early as October 2021, Amnesty sounded the alarm about the deplorable conditions under which Venezuelans were detained, including being denied access to medical care. Those not held in detention centers while awaiting deportation are at risk of exploitation by employers or forced into prostitution. Although Amnesty acknowledged some improvements earlier this year, they pointed out that many abuses still persisted. Hato vehemently refutes the criticism, asserting that the government respects human rights, as he wrote to the Parliament.
The latter contradicts the Trafficking in Persons Report released last week by the US Department of State. In that report, the Pisas Cabinet is heavily criticized for not making sufficient efforts to combat human trafficking and protect Venezuelan migrants/refugees. As a result, Curaçao has been downgraded to the lowest tier of countries that do not meet the minimum requirements for combating human trafficking, a status shared with countries like Cambodia, Cuba, Belarus, and Afghanistan.
Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment also expressed strong criticism of how the Curaçao government treats Venezuelans. In response to the latest Amnesty report, the Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, Van Huffelen, recently stated that she is satisfied with Willemstad's efforts to improve the treatment of Venezuelan refugees.
Next month, a research team from Amnesty International will visit Curaçao and Aruba.