The Dutch Safety Board (Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid) has issued an urgent recommendation to the Minister of Asylum and Migration to improve conditions for children in asylum accommodation within six months. In its report titled “Children in Distress”, published on Monday, the board stated that children are structurally exposed to unsafe living conditions that pose serious risks to their development. Around 6,900 out of 17,000 child asylum seekers currently reside in emergency shelters.
Safety concerns
The safety board noted that insecurity in emergency accommodation is not the result of an unforeseen crisis, but rather administrative choices and the use of crisis measures to manage structural problems. Because emergency options are being used long term to cover a shortage of permanent reception places, emergency sites now account for more than 60 per cent of all reception locations. The introduction of the dispersal law (spreidingswet) has failed to provide sufficient accommodation
According to the board, agencies arranging reception places operate under a crisis logic. This approach leaves underlying problems unresolved and normalises emergency concessions. Safety board chair Chris van Dam urged the government to reduce reliance on emergency locations and invest in a sustainable reception system. He noted that facilities such as vacant offices, ships and event halls were intended as short-term solutions, yet children sometimes remain there for years. Van Dam warned that the Netherlands has fallen below acceptable child-safety standards.
Unsafe living conditions carry severe developmental risks for child asylum seekers. Emergency shelters often lack space, quiet, privacy and adequate access to healthcare and education. Children face a high risk of exposure to physical and sexual violence, while frequent relocations create an unstable environment.
Concerns regarding emergency reception facilities have persisted for years, with several organisations raising alarms since 2021. The safety board launched its investigation in 2024 to address acute safety issues and help end reliance on temporary measures. Although the board cannot impose legal sanctions, a spokesperson emphasised that the recommendations carry weight and require a formal response from the minister within six months.
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