Dutch Senate Approves Anti-Discrimination Protection Act for Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba

THE HAGUE--On Tuesday, 7 October 2025, the Dutch Senate approved the introduction of equal treatment legislation for Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. This means that the Protection against Discrimination Act has now been formally adopted for the islands.

Under Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution, several laws guaranteeing equal treatment already apply in the European Netherlands. Until now, those same laws did not extend to Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. This gap is now being closed. With the new Act, legislation that protects against discrimination will soon apply across all parts of the Netherlands.

Research has shown that equal treatment legislation is important to the people of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. Once the Act takes effect, residents will be able to invoke it if they believe they have been discriminated against — for example, on the basis of origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

To support this, each island will have an anti-discrimination office, housed within the free legal aid centers currently being established. These offices will employ legal professionals who can record complaints, provide guidance, and determine appropriate next steps together with the individual concerned.

The new law also gives the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights an official role in assessing discrimination cases on the islands. Residents will be able to submit requests to the Institute to determine whether their situation constitutes discrimination under Dutch law.

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