“Why am I being looked at in that way? I just feel very normal”
Society in the Netherlands is diverse, more than 25% of the population has at least one parent born abroad. People have different reactions to this diversity; some enjoy it, whilst others seem to be more reluctant. Regardless of one's personal feelings about diversity, Dutch law states that everyone should be treated equally. It is covered explicitly in the first article of the Dutch constitution:
“Everyone situated in the Netherlands is treated equally in all cases. Discrimination because of religion, beliefs, political affiliation, race, gender, handicap, sexual orientation, or other grounds is not allowed.” (Article 1, the Dutch constitution).
Additionally, the Equal Treatment Act states discrimination constitutes a violation of several sections of the penal code. The official stance of the Netherlands is clear: discrimination should not happen within our country.
More than 1 in 10 felt discriminated against in 2023
Still, discrimination takes place on a daily basis. In 2023 alone, approximately 2 million people reported experiencing discrimination, which translates to more than 1 in every 10 people. And the majority of them experienced this more than once within a single year.
Those affected include women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTI+ community, and many more. However, the demographic clearly most discriminated against is first- and second-generation immigrants. Discrimination targeting them is only increasing, as shown by figures from 2021 and 2023. Out of all the instances of discrimination in 2021, 26,6% were based on nationality. In 2023, that percentage has risen to 33%. This rise is most likely caused by the increasingly hostile social climate surrounding immigrants and refugees. Dutch society shows a trend of declining solidarity, rising intolerance, and growing tensions. Although this is not only directed towards immigrants, they do experience this intolerance disproportionately.
Percentage of people discriminated against based on nationality
Discrimination, what is it exactly?
11% of Dutch residents felt discriminated against
Discrimination is not just a myth created to police what we're allowed to say. It is a well-researched phenomenon that affects many people, having a profound impact on their lives. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person based on personal characteristics and can take many different forms. People experiencing discrimination can receive negative comments, have more difficulties in finding a job or housing, or experience aggressive behaviour, among other challenges.
There are two types of discrimination: interpersonal and institutional. Interpersonal discrimination occurs between people. Sometimes this discrimination is visible, such as aggressive behaviour or destruction of property. But racism can also be expressed more subtly, making it harder to recognise. This type of racism is called covert racism. It stems from biases, and it can range from microaggressions— small, everyday slights and negative comments that rely on stereotypes—to influencing decision-making and behaviour.
Institutional or systemic discrimination is when organisations have policies, rules, and processes that discriminate against certain groups or people, creating a system that works against these groups. These systems cause of covert racism, which can lead to profiling, worse access to social services, stereotyping, and stigmatising in the media.
“I have worked many places and they always ask me: are you doing the fasting? I’m not Muslim. It is not necessarily if I have a beard that I am Muslim.”
The Child Benefits Scandal
A concrete example that shows the effects of institutional discrimination is the child benefits scandal (toeslagenaffaire). For years, many parents were accused of purposefully withholding money and they were prosecuted for fraud on their child benefits. As a result, people fell into debt, lost their homes, and faced other challenges. For years, people have tried to address the issue unsuccessfully until 2018, when RTL Nieuws and Trouw reported on the matter.
The issue quickly went viral, the Secretary of Finance resigned, and an investigation into the tax administration office was started. This investigation revealed that many parents were wrongfully accused of fraud by the Dutch tax office, causing big debts, psychological problems, and even the eviction of children by child protection. Most of the victims were families with a migration background. In 2022, the tax administration office admitted that ethnic profiling was used in their procedures, making immigrants more vulnerable to wrongful accusations.
The child benefits scandal is a clear example of institutional racism. Research has found that institutional racism happens regularly, but usually there is not such clear evidence. Without media coverage, the investigation exposing problematic stereotyping in the system would not have occurred. Since institutional racism is a recurring phenomenon, how many more systems like this are in place that simply go unnoticed?
Reasons people discriminate
The reasons behind discrimination are complex and multifaceted. Studies point to several contributing factors, but they are not exhaustive. Research has found that discrimination occurs in various settings and affects individuals. However, what drives individuals to discriminate remains difficult to pinpoint and even harder to investigate.
The GGD (Dutch public health care organisation) distinguishes 3 reasons people discriminate, and Amnesty International adds 2 more:
Fear of the unfamiliar
Wanting to feel better by looking down on another group
A scapegoat to blame problems on simplifies problems and gives a feeling of control
Perceiving others as competition
Being influenced by preconceived ideas about another group
People often discriminate due to ingrained stereotypes, fear of the unfamiliar, or social conditioning that promotes "us versus them" mentalities. It is a subconscious fear of the unknown, which creates a gap difficult to bridge. Additionally, a lack of education or exposure to diversity can lead to prejudices and biases which may turn into discriminatory behaviour.
Another driver is the feeling of competition; the fear that others may take away jobs or resources. As individuals and groups seek to protect their interests, this perceived competition can fuel discriminatory actions.
We live in a complicated world with a lot of complex issues. It might feel easier to point to a single group as the cause of all our problems. However, this oversimplification often leads to blaming groups for things they did not cause, which in turn results in unfair treatment.
Recognising these varying motivations is essential for addEressing the root causes of discrimination. To create a country where everyone is treated equally, we need to understand the ways discrimination is a part of our society today.
“I saw the pure discrimination without any hiding, because most of the people who work there are from Eastern Europe, refugees, foreigners, whatever. And the team leaders and supervisors, they were awful … And there is no supervision from the government. It’s really bad conditions. It’s inhumane actually”
Effects of Discrimination
Regardless of the reasons, discrimination has serious consequences. Discrimination and prejudices have various effects that range from barely noticeable to severe and even life-threatening. It affects the victims, but also society as a whole. 51% of people who experienced discrimination lost trust in people. Discrimination changes how people view each other and society, affecting how we interact, and influencing how we as a society behave.
Discrimination can have obvious direct effects: not being hired can lead to unemployment and financial insecurity; threats can cause lasting sense of fear and lack of safety; etc. However, discrimination can also have less straightforward effects: People who get discriminated against can get psychological issues, for example lower self-esteem, depression, or anxiety disorders. When someone is exposed to stress due to discrimination for extended periods of time, these issues can even turn into physical problems.
Discrimination leads to social exclusion, less (professional) chances, and even health issues. It is not just about people feeling uncomfortable, discrimination changes people's lives for the worse. If we want to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to the collective good, it is important that the roots of discrimination get properly addressed. It will take effort, but we can create a society free from the damaging effects of discrimination, where everyone is treated like equals.
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.”
