Cabinet abandons databank Antilleans

December 22, 2008 11:43 AM

The separate databank for high-risk youths from the Antilles and Aruba is probably off for forever. The cabinet is now considering including these youths in an alarming system for all youths in the Netherlands that threaten to go off the rails.

Integration-minister Eberhard van der Laan (PvdA) and State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten (CDA) announced that on Monday. “That’s what they are thinking of doing”, said that spokespersons. It is not clear yet whether the ethnicity of high-risk youths will also be included in this other system. The cabinet has not taken a final decision yet on a common system for all high-risk youths. The council of ministers will discuss this matter again this Friday.

Ella Vogelaar announced in her last week as Integration-minister that there won’t be a separate databank for Antillean and Aruban high-risk youths. The Lower House objected that decision.
After Vogelaar was forced to step down, the cabinet decided to go once more into the matter. A letter that Vogelaar sent to parliament indicating that she abandons the index for Antilleans and Arubans, was revoked mid-November. Vise-Prime Minister Wouter Bos (PvdA) explained at that time that some administrators want to discuss the consequences of the decision not to introduce a Cross-reference Index Antilleans further. CDA supports the choice of abandoning the separate databank. They say that they were always for just one databank, in which all high-risk youths are registered. PvdA says being very devoted to the opinion of the 21 Antillean municipalities in the Netherlands. The smallest Coalition party, ChristenUnie that is against a separate registration based on ethnicity, didn’t want to give a reaction on Monday evening.

(Source: National newspaper Amigoe)

16 December, 2008