Child labour is not common in the Netherlands. The government has ratified both ILO Conventions No. 138 on Minimum Age and No. 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour. There is a strong legal framework in place regarding working hours and conditions for young workers. The minimum age of employment is 16, and secondary school is free and compulsory until the same age. Until the age of 22, the system of minimum youth wages is applicable. In line with the ILO Convention No. 138, children are allowed to do light work form the age of 13.

However, there are risks in the country stemming from child trafficking, especially for sexual exploitation. According to data compiled by the UNODC, 283 child victims of human trafficking were detected in 2016, 218 of which were girls and many of whom were trafficked into the sex industry. Sex tourism is a well-established industry, especially in the Netherlands, and companies in the travel and tourism sector should ensure due diligence efforts identify and mitigate any potential contributions to the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.

The Netherlands has ratified ILO Convention No. 182 on Maternity Protections, and mothers benefit from 16 weeks of maternity leave. During the leave period, women are paid 100% of their previous earnings and benefit from job protection. In practice, over two-thirds of women are covered by maternity leave and cash benefits, according to the ILO.

Employers may not discriminate against women based on pregnancy or motherhood. However, research by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found that in 2016, 43% of women in the labour market had to deal with possible discrimination due to pregnancy or recent motherhood. In addition, 1 out of 10 women report having been rejected for a position due to pregnancy, motherhood or desire to have children.

Until recently, the Netherlands was lagging behind with parental and paternity leave compared to other European countries, where partners often receive paid leave of up to two weeks or longer. Fathers are entitled to five days of paid paternity leave. From July 2020, fathers will be entitled to five weeks of paid paternity leave at 70% of the wage.

The length of maternity leave being less than six months is a key reason for the country’s low breastfeeding rates. Just 18% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, as recommended by WHO and UNICEF – far below the global average of 40%. National law requires breastfeeding breaks for nursing mothers, and employers often provide a separate room. ) (6 weeks of leave pre-child birth, and 10 weeks after childbirth). During the leave period, women are paid 100% of their previous earnings and benefit from job protection. In practice, over two-thirds of women are covered by maternity leave and cash benefits, according to the ILO.

Employers may not discriminate against women based on pregnancy or motherhood. However, research by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found that in 2016, 43% of women in the labour market had to deal with possible discrimination due to pregnancy or recent motherhood. In addition, 1 out of 10 women report having been rejected for a position due to pregnancy, motherhood or desire to have children.

Until recently, the Netherlands was lagging behind with parental and paternity leave compared to other European countries, where partners often receive paid leave of up to two weeks or longer. Fathers are entitled to five days of paid paternity leave. From July 2020, fathers will be entitled to five weeks of paid paternity leave at 70% of the wage.

The length of maternity leave being less than six months is a key reason for the country’s low breastfeeding rates. Just 18% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, as recommended by WHO and UNICEF – far below the global average of 40%. National law requires breastfeeding breaks for nursing mothers, and employers often provide a separate room.

Working parents in the Netherlands have support in balancing work and family life. The standard working week in many industries is just 4 working days or 35 hours, especially for working parents. In practice, average working hours are 32.5 per week according to ILO data. The Netherlands is known for having a high percentage of part-time employees, especially among women. In 2016, 65% of total female and 75% of the total male labour population were active on the labour market. In 2018, the Netherland’s minimum wage was €1,615.80 per month, and average wages are US$2,668 per month according to ILO data.

In the Netherlands, the gender pay gap averages 16.1 percent. However, the gap is slowly decreasing.

The average for childcare is three days per week. Every parent or guardian in the Netherlands receives a child benefit regardless of their income, to partially cover the cost of raising a child. The amount is based on the age of the child. A supplement can be applied for childcare, up to a maximum of 230 hours per month.

Netherlands has ratified key conventions on marketing to children, such as the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Rates of obesity for both children and adults are rising in Netherlands linked to the marketing of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods. According to WHO data, in 2016 24.7% of children and adolescents aged 5-19 are overweight, compared with 18.1% in 1996.

National laws regulate marketing to children, including advertising of HFSS foods to children. Marketing food products to children under the age of 12 is prohibited by the Youth Advertising Code, as is advertising in schools. Marketing of food and beverages to children is also self-regulated by the food and beverage (F&B) industry in the Dutch Advertising Code (Nederlandse Reclame Code). In addition to general terms, the code encourages companies to avoid marketing in a way that causes moral damage to children, encourages the purchase of particular products by targetting the inexperience and credulity of children, and suggesting that use of certain products will provide physical or social advantages.

In the Netherlands, as in many countries, the F&B industry makes use of their own nutrition criteria to determine whether products should be marketed to adolescents. However, these criteria are often not compliant with WHO guidelines on nutritional criteria for marketing to children.

Since 2014, the Netherlands has had an age limit of 18 years for premise purchasing of tobacco and alcoholic beverages. Supermarkets have agreed to ask those who look younger than 25 to show proof of age when buying alcohol. Advertising of alcoholic beverages is in the Netherlands mainly controlled by self regulation of the drinks industry through the Advertising Code for Alcoholic Beverages. Under this voluntary code, there is a limit on advertising through any media where 25% or more of the audience is under 18 years.

Despite these efforts, Netherlands has high youth smoking and alcohol consumption rates compared with other countries Europe; according to WHO data, about 16% of adolescents aged 13-15 use tobacco products, and adolescents aged 15-19 consume on average 8.7 litres of pure alcohol per year.

Netherlands has adopted few legal measures to implement International Code on Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. Non-implementation of the Code could be a contributing factor to low exclusive breastfeeding rates; just 18% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, as recommended by WHO and UNICEF – far below the global average of 40%. Companies should therefore ensure that their marketing practices align with the International Code, in order to avoid negatively impacting child health.

Netherlands has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. The country is also a member of the We Protect Global Alliance, an international movement dedicated to national and global action to end the sexual exploitation of children online. The country is also one of the parties of the Internet Governance Forum, an international consultation platform. Members make agreements on internet management, with a secure internet as one of the topics.

Netherlands has recently adopted several laws to protect children from pornography and violence on the internet. National laws require internet providers to inform adults on the parental control options. Reporting systems have been established, as well as age verification and warnings when entering unsuitable websites. Public authorities have also launched campaigns to raise parents’ awareness on the risks to children online.

According to the Internet Watch Foundation, 57,335 URLs contained child sexual abuse material in 2016. Ninety-two per cent of all child sexual abuse URLs identified by the IWF are hosted in five countries, including the Netherlands.

Children in the Netherlands benefit from some one of the best education systems in the world. This is reflected in the country’s performance in the KidsRights Education index, where the Netherlands ranks 1st out of 182 countries. Primary and secondary education is free of charge. Education is compulsory for children between 5-18 years. However, if a qualification is acquired earlier, the age for leaving school is reduced to 16 years. Dutch society is one of the highest educated of the world. In 2014, 32% of the population between 25 -64 year held a university degree, which is significantly above the OECD average of 24%.

It is legally required for all people living of working in the Netherlands to take out health insurance covering basic costs, which improves the accessibility of the system. The Dutch health care system is consistently ranked as one of the best of the world. There are however also concerns for children’s health. In particular, vaccination rates are decreasing. In 2017, 94% of children had received a DTP vaccination. This is under the 95% coverage advised by the WHO. Moreover, 1 out of 7 children under the age of 13 years is overweight. These concerns are reflected in the country’s score in the KidsRights Health index, where the Netherlands ranks 36th out of 182 countries.

The Netherlands is actively tackling environmental issues, having ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Climate Agreemnt. Since part of the Netherlands is under sea level, the country is directly affected by climate change. An advanced system of protection is in place to decrease the risk of flooding. Where various environmental policies are in place and international treaties are signed, fossil fuels still made up more than 90% of the country’s total primary energy supply in 2015.

In addition, air quality is a crucial issue in Netherlands. In Amsterdam and urban areas regions, pollution levels often exceed EU targets, and children are more vulnerable than adults to the negative impacts of air pollution. Nevertheless, the country has low child death rates due to ambient air pollution (0.1 deaths per 100,000 children) and unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (0.2 deaths per 100,000).