AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

sowing “social discord” in social media.
During the year, Madhesi activist Chandra
Kant Raut and several supporters faced
multiple sedition charges for peacefully
expressing political opinions.
DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination on the basis of gender, caste,
class, ethnic origin, sexual orientation,
gender identity and religion persisted.
Constitutional amendments did not guarantee
equal rights to citizenship for women, or
provide protection from discrimination to
marginalized communities, including Dalits
and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
intersex people.
The law criminalizing rape was amended
so that the statute of limitations on reporting
the crime was raised from 35 to 180 days
rather than being abolished altogether as
required by human rights standards. Genderbased
discrimination continued to undermine
women's and girls’ rights to control their
sexuality and make informed choices related
to reproduction; challenge early and forced
marriages; and enjoy adequate antenatal and
maternal health care. Women continued to
face domestic violence, including marital
rape. Women from marginalized groups,
including Dalits and Indigenous women,
remained at greater risk of intersecting forms
of discrimination.
NETHERLANDS
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Head of state: King Willem-Alexander
Head of government: Mark Rutte
Irregular migrants continued to be routinely
deprived of their liberty and the government
still did not adequately consider alternatives
to detention. Ethnic profiling by the police
continued to be a matter of serious
concern.
REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS
Following a fire in a detention facility in
Rotterdam on 25 May, several migrants were
placed in solitary confinement as a punitive
measure for “disturbing public order” during
the evacuation.
In October, a draft law regulating
immigration detention was tabled before
Parliament. It offered minor improvements,
but major concerns remained as irregular
migrants could be deprived of their liberty for
a wide range of reasons. The punitive
character of the detention regime also
remained in place. Furthermore, the draft law
included powers to hold migrants in a cell for
at least 16 hours a day.
RIGHT TO AN ADEQUATE STANDARD
OF LIVING
The authorities remained unwilling to
implement the recommendation by the
European Committee of Social Rights that all
people, including irregular migrants, should
have unconditional access to shelter and
other basic necessities.
DISCRIMINATION
Ethnic profiling by police
Ethnic profiling by the police continued to be
a matter of serious concern. While the
authorities acknowledged the damaging
effects of ethnic profiling, they failed to
formulate a comprehensive plan for the fair
and effective use of stop-and-search powers.
The police also continued to refuse to
systematically monitor and record stop-andsearch
operations, making it difficult to
assess whether measures to combat ethnic
profiling, such as training, diversity
management and dialogue with communities,
were effective in reducing discrimination.
Partial ban on face-covering
A government proposal for a ban on facecovering
attire in certain spaces, such as
public transport and public educational and
health care institutions, passed the House of
Representatives in November but was still
pending before the Senate. The ban would
restrict the rights to freedom of religion and of
expression, particularly of Muslim women.
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