Under the instruction of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), Glenn Thodé (former Island Governor Bonaire) and Jacques van Eck (former State Council at the Council of State) are currently exploring the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation for Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius.

This is being done because the governors of the islands have asked for such legislation to be quickly introduced and implemented. They presented this request in a letter to the State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation, Alexandra van Huffelen.

The aim of these exploratory activities is to examine the feasibility and consequences of introducing anti-discrimination legislation. Besides the introduction of this legislation, the aim is to examine how people can report discrimination and receive the required assistance.

For instance, when an employer fires an employee because she is pregnant; when a restaurant owner fails to assist a disabled customer; when a school refuses a pupil or teacher due to his or her sexual orientation; or when employees are not paid the same salary despite doing the same work.

In order to perform these exploratory activities effectively, Glenn Thodé and BZK employees Suzanne Vogel and Barbera Veltkamp will be visiting all three islands between the 2nd  and the 13th of  November. They have made appointments with various (public) organizations, a representative of youngsters and disabled people, the LGBTQ+ community, employers and public bodies. Once the working visit has been completed, the House of Representatives will be informed about the results of these activities.

RCN