“Municipalities Discriminating Against Male Asylum Seekers: NRC Research”

Municipalities set requirements for nationality, age and sex of asylum seekers they want to receive, according to research by NRC. It Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) acknowledges agreeing to such demands, for fear that people would otherwise have to sleep outside.

The municipalities prefer to receive women and children, men and minors who are alone rather not. Certainly vFifteen municipalities, including Rotterdam and Maassluis, have had it contractually stipulated that they do not want to accept asylum seekers from countries that the Netherlands considers safe in their temporary reception locations. These people, including those from Morocco and Tunisia, have little chance of obtaining a residence permit and, on average, cause a relatively high level of nuisance.

According to experts the newspaper spoke to, it is illegal to make a distinction in this way. ‘The government must not discriminate’, responds Professor of Immigration Law Peter Rodrigues of Leiden University. He points out that some asylum seekers from safe countries are not safe, such as homosexuals or political activists.

Moreover, the municipalities that set these requirements do not show solidarity towards other municipalities, says Professor of Migration Law Lieneke Slingenberg of the VU University in Amsterdam. “The burden must be shared across the country. Now it’s every man for himself.’

Niels Waarlo