Kralendijk, Bonaire — The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and James Finies leader of Pueblo Progresivo Uni are proud to announce that voice of the Bonerians reached the highest concerned global entities on education. BHRO received formal responses from both the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) in The Hague, regarding the urgent complaint submitted on 10 June 2025. This complaint focusing on Educational Rights highlighted ongoing violations of the rights of Bonerian children, particularly at the island’s only secondary school, Scholengemeenschap Bonaire – Unit Liseo Boneriano.
The complaint on Education submitted in June complements complaint on the Bonaire Case personally filed by BHRO representatives at the United Nations in Geneva in October 2024 under the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination mandate, which part thereof already highlighted systemic discrimination against Bonerian children. This Bonaire Education Case complaint is the result and follow up on a personal meeting that the Bonaire delegation held in April 2025 with the Human Rights Special Rapporteur at the UN Headquarters in New York. The delegation consisted of Davika Bissessar, president of BHRO, James Finies leader of Pueblo Progresivo Uni and Joseline Thielman and Phenice Frans Piar from Muhernan Fuerte Woman Wing Pueblo Progresivo Uni.
BHRO has formally requested the Human Rights Council to acknowledge this complaint under its mandate on education to examine the education system’s compliance with international human rights standards. Further to engage with the Government of the Netherlands to request an explanation, conduct a review, and provide urgent redress for the violations described. And to uphold the fundamental rights of Bonerians affirming Holland responsibilities under Article 73(a) of the United Nations Charter, which obliges administering powers to ensure:“with due respect for the culture of the peoples concerned, their political, economic, social, and educational advancement, their just treatment, and their protection against abuses.”
The complaint exposes systemic educational discrimination in Bonaire, including; 1- the suppression of Papiamentu in schools—violating Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)— 2- and a climate of fear that silences educators from raising concerns. 3- Parents are deliberately excluded from decisions affecting their children’s education, further breaching UNCRC protections. 4- These failures contribute to escalating social harm, with growing student disengagement, violence, psychological distress, and even tragic outcomes such as suicide and homicide.
BHRO reaffirms its core recommendations, now backed by international human rights scrutiny: 1- Revise the language policy to make Papiamentu the primary language of instruction, honoring it as a pillar of Bonerian identity; 2- establish anti-discrimination frameworks to combat institutional bias; 3- protect educators who advocate for student rights; 4- and restore educational authority to the local Bonerian government, in accordance with Article 73 of the UN Charter, to ensure culturally rooted, community-driven leadership in education.
Additionally, BHRO’s international outreach and advocacy have proven highly effective. In response to the UN Human Rights Council’s call for swift and transparent action, Minister Eppo Bruins’ office and the Dutch Ministry of Education have formally engaged with BHRO to address the systemic educational issues raised. This represents a significant step toward finding concrete solutions and reflects growing recognition—both nationally and internationally—of the urgent need to uphold the educational and human rights of the Bonerian people.
www.bonairehumanrights.org
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