International

SP member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen wants to see a speedy debate with the government on the major psychiatric problems suffered by the children of asylum-seekers. “The enquiry conducted by the Children’s Ombudsman has confirmed what I already knew,” she says. “Children are suffering enormously as a result of the long drawn-out procedures. This suffering is unnecessary. I hope that the other parties in parliament recognise the need to discuss this.”

The investigation by the Netherlands’ Children’s Ombudsman revealed that the children of asylum-seekers have a higher-than-average rate of anxiety psychoses, sleep disorders and eating disorders. The Children’s Ombudsman sounded the alarm last December, but none of the other political parties would listen at that time to this plea for help, on the grounds that the enquiry had not been completed. The investigation is now at an end, however.

“The combination of traumas suffered when young, parents who often have serious problems, and austere living conditions is disastrous for small children,” says Gesthuizen. “Add to that the uncertainty created by the fact that you could be deported at any moment, and you can see why things go wrong. It’s appalling that the minister was unwilling to do anything before the investigation was completed. Any first year psychology undergraduate could explain the problem.”