Senate approves Anti-Discrimination Protection Act for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba
On Tuesday, 7 October 2025, the Senate approved the introduction of the equal treatment legislation on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This means that the Protection against Discrimination Act was definitively adopted on the islands.
Based on Section 1 of the Constitution, various Acts guaranteeing equal treatment are applicable in the European Netherlands. Thus far, these Acts are not applicable to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This disparity is eliminated by the new Act: legislation offering protection against discrimination is soon to apply throughout the Netherlands.
Previous research has shown that equal treatment legislation is important for the residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Now that the Act has been adopted, residents will soon be able to invoke it if they feel discriminated against, for example on the grounds of their origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To this end, they will have access to an anti-discrimination facility, which will be housed at the free legal aid counter that is being set up on each island. Individuals with legal expertise will soon be working there to record reports from citizens about experiences of discrimination, offer a listening ear and determine the possible follow-up together with the person reporting the incident.
This legislation gives the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights a new assessing role on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This means that citizens can submit a request to the Institute to assess whether their situation constitutes discrimination.
Minister Rijkaarts of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations: “With this law, all residents of our country will have the same protection against discrimination. And not just on paper, because thanks to the help desks that will be opened, people on the islands will receive direct help and support. This is important: no one should be excluded or treated unequally.”
The official entry into force of the Act is envisaged for 1 January 2026.