“I think that the idea of ‘how are foreigners perceived in the Netherlands by the media?’ As a criminal, that is the best fitting word. They view you as a criminal.”
It is true that statistics sometimes show higher crime rates among people who have moved to the Netherlands [2]. You might hear this argument used against refugees, but that is not the whole story. Another part of the story is the connection between crime rates and socio-economic factors [2, 4]. Aspects such as age, gender, and wealth are linked to the level of crime in a population. When these factors are taken into account, the disparity between criminal activity in asylum seekers and Dutch citizens mostly disappears [2]. The crime rates among asylum seekers are even slightly lower compared to Dutch citizens in the same socio-economic position. This suggests that the observed higher levels of criminal activity are less about one's immigrant status and more about the challenging socio-economic circumstances that many asylum seekers live in.
Read more about the living environment of asylum seekers here.
Fears based on falsehoods
People are scared the arrival of refugees will lead to a less safe society with higher crime rates [5]. This feeling does not come out of nowhere; the narrative on immigrants has got increasingly negative [3]. Some of the widely held beliefs are inaccurate or miss nuance, but they still induce fear. For example, the claim [1b] that the number of crimes committed by refugees has increased is untrue. Rather, the crime rate among immigrants and refugees has been decreasing for years [17].
Similarly, people fear that the opening of a COA location will lead to increased crime in their neighbourhood. Research shows that this isn't the case; crime rates in neighbourhoods do not change when a COA-centre is opened [6]. Read more about that here (COA article).
“They only publish the bad things, so they can reach people who hate refugees. That’s what I see. Okay, it’s right to publish the bad sides, but also the good sides.”
Criminal Asylum Seekers Staying in The Netherlands
Refugees who are granted residence status are unlikely to commit crimes. In 2023, only 1.1% of immigrants were suspected of criminal activity [17]. The Dutch government can deny an asylum seekers residence permit if they have committed a serious offence, which helps prevent dangerous criminals from getting Dutch residency [10]. Additionally, the chance of asylum seekers committing crimes is closely linked to how likely they are to receive asylum [2]. In other words, refugees who settle in the Netherlands are the least likely to commit crimes compared to other asylum seekers.
An aspect that is often forgotten about when people talk about crime and refugees is that asylum seekers are more likely to become victims of a crime [15]. They are more likely to be in a vulnerable position. They often don't speak the language, don't have a good support system, and don't know how the justice system works [16]. Furthermore, many asylum seekers are afraid that reporting a crime might hurt their chances of getting a residence permit. Because of this, crimes go unreported, leaving asylum seekers in a more vulnerable position. This compromised situation is exploited by criminals, with crimes such as abuse, human trafficking, and financial scams.
“We make the news only when shit happens. ... otherwise achievements will be local.”
The group overshadows the individual
Media coverage has a big influence on how the population views a group. [5] Researchers have analysed and compared previous studies that evaluate the media coverage on immigrants and the effects it has. They found that people often think and talk about refugees as one cohesive group, and fail to recognize them as individuals. According to research, the media consistently portrays minority groups like refugees in a negative light, making them seem like a danger to safety, economy, and hygiene [12]. Moira Grant McLoughlin further enhances this finding in her research [11]. She found that most stories about refugees exclude their voices and perspectives. By doing so, the perception that “all refugees are the same” is strengthened even more, a stereotype that affects many.
To read more about the depiction of refugees in the media, go to this article.
The story of Hossein
Someone who deals a lot with racism is Hossein. Hossein is a 30 year old surgeon with 3 brothers, who fled from Iran 12 years ago. He is a musician, likes photography, and loves friendships where the door is always open. He is a kind and unique person with a lot of individuality. However, he notices that people often treat him based on prejudices and what they assume he must be like.
“The prejudices are still difficult to deal with. People are very surprised when you do everything well, and if everything is arranged justly.”
It is frustrating, he wants to be seen as a person, an individual, but too often he notices that people have prejudices and expectations that don't align with who he is. He has finished a study here, he works 5 days a week, it creates the question of “what do I need to do to show who I am and to be appreciated by society?”.
He mentions a lot of different ways he notices people discriminate against him, but also other refugees. From stereotyping, being looked at weirdly in the street or comments at work. But also people who ‘confide’ in him when they find out he is Iranian instead of Moroccan. People have said to him: ‘Why can't Moroccan youth act the way you do?’ as if he is one of the ‘good refugees’. It seems like racism is being normalised. “It's becoming normal to look at me negatively. … There's a normalisation of ‘you can say that on Dutch television’ [talking about people disrespecting Islam, calling it barbaric and saying muslims should die, and that all mosques should close].” He sees that racism is deeply ingrained throughout the whole country.
When he arrived here he felt like the Western world was very welcoming. He mentions that in Iran people judge you if you're a musician, or if you have long hair and he felt that here that was different. Until he learned Dutch, once he learned Duch he noticed that he is being treated differently here as well, a sad and confronting reality. “There they look at you like ‘Oh he is not a muslim’ and here they look at you like ‘Oh he is a muslim’.”
Coming to the Netherlands he had to redo his study in Dutch, during which he noticed that people treated him differently. He decided, I do not want to work in an academic hospital like this, I do not want to have to walk on eggshells when I'm at work. He now works as a freelancer in an international hospital, with international staff. He notices that the interactions with colleagues are different, less judgemental. When he does go back to a ‘Dutch hospital’ (a hospital with mainly white staff), he knows there's a proper chance that someone from the staff will be surprised that he works in the hospital, and not as a janitor. People assume he is not highly educated, and therefore have trouble recognising that he is a surgeon.
When asked what his hopes for the future are, he talks about the fact that we are all human. He hopes that we can accept that immigrants are not just here to bring us our post, but that they can be intelligent, they can help further develop the Netherlands. International cultures bring a lot of good, for example in music and food, and he hopes the respect for this will only grow.
He hopes for a day where people will start getting to know a person. Where people get treated as individuals, not as a predesignated idea.
“I don’t have to be viewed as Dutch, I just want to be viewed as a normal person.”
