Dutch reject UN call to feed, shelter homeless migrants

[Morphine Prince 109,656]

The Hague (AFP) - The Dutch government on Tuesday rejected a call from UN rights experts to provide thousands of homeless migrants with food and shelter during the bitter north European winter.

An estimated 8,000 asylum seekers are turned down every year in the Netherlands and left up to their own devices pending expulsion. Many end up living on the street.

"In these dark days before Christmas, it is appalling that the Dutch government will not even commit less than 0.01 percent of its yearly budget to help people living in absolute misery and poverty," UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human right, Philip Alston.

"Assisting migrants living on the streets is not a matter of charity," he said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) had recently ruled that the Netherlands was "violating the right to emergency assistance of adult homeless irregular migrants".

The Dutch government recently rejected a 15-million euro ($19 million) appeal from 60 local municipalities to look after homeless migrants over the winter.

Junior security and justice minister Fred Teeven of the liberal VVD party said he does not want to encourage rejected asylum seekers to stay in the Netherlands.

But his ministry contested what it called "one-sided information" from the ECSR that informed the UN rapporteur's complaint.

"The Netherlands endeavours to prevent foreign nationals without lawful residence ending up on the street," the security and justice ministry said in an email to AFP.

The ministry repeated its position that it is waiting for a meeting of EU foreign ministers that is expected to discuss the matter in February or March.

"Calling for measures to be adopted is at this stage premature," the ministry said, repeating that it would not refund town councils any money they spend looking after homeless asylum seekers.

Immigration is a sensitive issue in the Netherlands, with the ruling liberal VVD party competing for votes with the far-right anti-Islam PVV party.

"Politicians in the Netherlands have been trying to score political points at the expense of homeless irregular migrants in the national debate about immigration," said the UN special rapporteur on the rights of migrants, Francois Crepeau.

"Human migration patterns will not change by letting migrants sleep on the streets," he said.

Other Dutch political parties, including the Labour PvdA, which governs in coalition with the VVD, have called for the government to take measures to help the homeless migrants.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-reject-un-call-feed-shelter-homeless-migrants-222055938.html

[Tropico 4,145]

Selfish af tbh

[craig 680]

"Human migration patterns will not change by letting migrants sleep on the streets," he said.

 

 

Why not? Can't they migrate to some other country, like Sweden?

[Supersonic 49,376]

As expected by a government that holds blackfacing as one of their highest cultural treasures

[craig 680]

As expected by a government that holds blackfacing as one of their highest cultural treasures

Or you could say: "when the majority feels culturally bullied, naturally they become less welcoming of more migrants from Africa and the Middle East."

[Luc 4,776]

This is simply because we have better use of the money. We have tens of thousands of immigrants seeking asylum every year, and it costs a lot to give them housing, integration, education, food, etc. In my opinion they should be let in, buf I understand the VVD in this. If they allowed them in, they would lose so many seats to the populist radical nationalists (PVV), which would be even worse for the future.

[Economy 52,851]

This is simply because we have better use of the money. We have tens of thousands of immigrants seeking asylum every year, and it costs a lot to give them housing, integration, education, food, etc. In my opinion they should be let in, buf I understand the VVD in this. If they allowed them in, they would lose so many seats to the populist radical nationalists (PVV), which would be even worse for the future.

my Country takes in more refugess than urs does. Which is lretty much the same thing in different wording

They often dont have education and are poor. We dont let them starve. Saying u accept many is not a valid reason. Many wealthy Nations take ppl in

Im not a big fan of large spending on welfare or other types of givig away money. But if ur winters are half as brutal as ours, at the very least give them a place to stay warm

Its actually not that costly. U dont need to make their lives comfortable. Just a place to stay warm. Even if they have to be packed together in rather poor conditions its still better than nkt helping at all

[ByeBye49 161]

my Country takes in more refugess than urs does. Which is lretty much the same thing in different wording

They often dont have education and are poor. We dont let them starve. Saying u accept many is not a valid reason. Many wealthy Nations take ppl in

Im not a big fan of large spending on welfare or other types of givig away money. But if ur winters are half as brutal as ours, at the very least give them a place to stay warm

Its actually not that costly. U dont need to make their lives comfortable. Just a place to stay warm. Even if they have to be packed together in rather poor conditions its still better than nkt helping at all

 

[RAMROD 117,048]

Sle Holland

Just adding more problems.

[Qualle1 1,385]

I didn't know about this. Not impressed by my Dutch neighbours to be honest...

This is simply because we have better use of the money. We have tens of thousands of immigrants seeking asylum every year, and it costs a lot to give them housing, integration, education, food, etc. In my opinion they should be let in, buf I understand the VVD in this. If they allowed them in, they would lose so many seats to the populist radical nationalists (PVV), which would be even worse for the future.

I am quite shocked about your cold-hearted post. :(

[Luc 4,776]

I didn't know about this. Not impressed by my Dutch neighbours to be honest...

I am quite shocked about your cold-hearted post. :(

The government consists out of a centre rigt and centre left party, whixh doesn't go together that well. They have to compromise and this is for the stability of our government. Next to that, they have to stay under the 3% norm of the EU and the centre right party needs to be a little eurosceptic and anti-immigration to win voters from the nationalist/populist party because there's voting for the senate in a few months. The less seats the PVV (nationalists) get, the more profitable for the future of this country and for immigrants too. Long term, it could benefit immigrants more because of the VVD getting more seats instead of the PVV.