The participating countries and islands of the Kingdom Taskforce are: Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands, and the public bodies Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Although the countries and public bodies are primarily responsible for the welfare of their children, the countries have been working closely together since 2014 through the Kingdom Taskforce for Children's Rights. Sharing knowledge, creating connections and intercountry cooperation is the main goal in this.

Especially now in these challenging times of, among others, COVID-19, it is essential to join forces and knowledge to jointly tackle the issues surrounding children's rights. Thanks to this collaboration, the children of the Kingdom can retain the perspective of a healthy and safe future. We will continue to focus on the voice of our children.

The current representatives per island are:

Aruba: Sacha Geerman
Bonaire: Reginald de Palm
Curaçao: Miosotis Yearwood
Saba: Tim Muller (chairman)
St. Eustatius: Carol Jack, Dirkje de Jong, Monica Smith
St. Maarten: Shermina Powell-Richardson, Soraya Agard, Faye Arnell
The Netherlands: Rachel Crowe (BZK) and Job Tanis (VWS)
Parenting Ambassadors: Yvonne Bermudes (Aruba), Peggy Grootens (Curaçao), Erick van Arneman (St. Maarten)

Faye

A Labor of Love

As a passionate youth worker, my career trajectory always focused on youth education and their development. I endeavor through my work and personal relationships with our clients, to live up to just what the vision of the Department of Youth says: to “Inspire, Educate and Empower”.

Soraya

To ensure that Sint Maarten provides a healthy and safe environment for children to grow, requires working with them to provide positive influences on their behaviours and practices. As a professional, I am able to improve the situation of children by ensuring that robust policies, that defend their rights, are put in place.

Soraya Agard

Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports

Faye Arnell

Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports

Shermina

I can only imagine what it would be like, if when I was a child no one took care of me, or no one protected me, or no one provided for me.

But thankfully that was not the case.

Today I recognize the honorable responsibility, together with my fellow colleagues in the Kingdom Taskforce for Children’s Rights, that it is imperative to empower our children with the competencies to be the future leaders of their society.

I am truly blessed to know that together we can make a difference in the lives of this generation.

Shermina Powell-Richardson
Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports

Erick

For most of my adult life, the main path of my career has focused on youth: helping them develop holistically, through various outreach programs and events. My motivation is the knowledge that investing positively in young lives gives them a chance for a bright future in which they can mean the same for others.

Erick van Arneman

Ministry of Health, Social Development and Labor

Monica

Why I choose to work with children

I have always had a sense of service, a drive to help people, children and youth especially. Working in this field is one of the most challenging, stimulating, and rewarding fields I ever worked in, doing the work I do gives me a purpose in life. Being able to set in interventions or just having a simple conversation that can make a difference in someone’s life. Giving my contribution to the Kingdom Taskforce for Children’s Rights gives me great pleasure being able to give my support on a broader scale and reach more children and youth.

Monica Smith

Public Entity St. Eustatius

Dirkje

Working together with a group of motivated colleagues on a better future for children is my motivation within the Taskforce.

Looking at policy level at how we can improve the safety of children is very rewarding. Certainly if we also involve children and young people in this, so that they themselves get a voice.

The connection with the other countries and islands within the Netherlands Kingdom ensures that we can be more effective and can learn from each other and inspire each other how we can make our community a bit safer for the children who grow up in this area.

Dirkje de Jong

Public Entity St. Eustatius

Sacha

Working for and/or with children inspires me. It gives a feeling that I contribute to the new generation of the future, that I can make a difference in their environment and live in a positive sense.

Sacha Geerman

Social Affairs Department

Yvonne

My passion is working with children, young people and families. My job offers me the opportunity to be able to make a difference in the lives of children in Aruba. I think it's important that they grow up in a safe and loving environment, that their rights are guaranteed and that we may offer them a good future.

Yvonne Bermudes

Social Affairs Department

Job

I wish all children a beautiful life, un bon bida, een goed leven

That they can dream and make their dreams come true. That they grow up in a warm and loving environment and have many friends. That they go to school and participate in society. I wish that for all the children of the Kingdom. I work for them, together with my colleagues from the Kingdom Taskforce for Children's Rights.

Job Tanis

Youth Directorate, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

Rachel

Every child of the Kingdom has the right to a good childhood as envisaged by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Together with my colleague from Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport: Job Tanis, I have been a member of the Taskforce Children's Rights from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations since the establishment of the Taskforce on Children's Rights. I see it as my mission to seek connections, to promote collaboration and to share knowledge. For the children and with the children. After all, they know best what is going on in their environment.

I am proud to be part of the Taskforce Children's Rights and it is a privilege to promote the rights of all children in our Kingdom together with the other members with such passion and drive. Because that is and will always be necessary. Our children our future.

Rachel Crowe

Ministry BZK

Continuously ensuring that children have options to develop themselves is and will remain a priority for us. On the other hand, we also ensure that the path between child and development is kept free from obstacles. If the child's life does get stuck, we are committed to pulling that child out and set it back on the path to a free and fruitful future.

Reginald de Palm

Public Entity Bonaire - Society and Care

Reginald

Peggy

I am committed to helping children benefit from equal rights, to listen to children and to encourage adults to fulfill their duties of protection and education. Within the Kingdom, we strive to make all citizens aware of the Rights of children and everyone's role in it.

Peggy Grootens

Ministry Social Development, Labor & Welfare