Defence for Children International Netherlands defends the rights of all children, including the rights of children who, in one way or another, have to deal with immigration law issues. These are children of asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, immigrant children and children without a residence permit.

The principle of non-discrimination as expressed in article 2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides the foundation for this work. Whether you are a refugee, a migrant or a foreigner, you are entitled of children's rights as long as you are under eighteen years of age. The CRC applies to every child in the Netherlands. In practice however, enforcing certain rights for children dealing with cases involving immigrant law has proven quite difficult. Problems can, for example, arise with regard to housing, education and healthcare. Moreover, even today, children are being locked up in detention centres because they do not have a residence permit.

On this website, you can read more about the action Defence for Children undertakes to denounce the violations of children's rights and to make sure that children's rights are respected in immigration law.

Defence for Children International Netherlands organizes campaigns to create awareness of the violations of children's rights that take place in the Netherlands and to urge authorities and politicians to respect children's rights.

• I have a right on my own rights
• Test Case: We want to stay
• iLegaalkind.nl
• The right to housing for 'illegal' children
• Campaign for the right on family life
• No children in detention for immigration reasons!