They know neither Morocco nor its language: Dutch teenagers are placed there precisely for that reason
Dutch teenagers with no Moroccan background whatsoever are placed in a center in Morocco. Their unfamiliarity with the country and its language is presented as an advantage by the organization hosting them. Twelve young people have been sent there over five years.
The case was revealed by an investigation by Nieuwsuur. Dutch municipalities and child-protection organizations sometimes send teenagers with behavioral problems abroad when no suitable place is available in the Netherlands.
These stays, theoretically temporary, can last up to three years. Some young people are even placed outside the European Union, notably in a Multi Plus Zorg facility in Morocco.
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The teenagers concerned have no family or cultural connection with the kingdom. For the organization’s director, this lack of reference points is precisely an advantage: because they do not speak the language and do not know the country, the young people depend more on their educators in their daily lives and can therefore focus on their progress.
Every three months, they return to the Netherlands for a few days. This system then allows them to return to Morocco without applying for a visa. According to Multi Plus Zorg, twelve teenagers have been welcomed in its Moroccan project over the past five years.
Dutch inspectors cannot investigate in Morocco
This practice concerns Mariëlle Bruning, a professor of youth law. She says she is shocked that minors are placed so far away, in a country with which they have no connection, and believes that the process “smells of abuse.”
The investigation focuses more broadly on shortcomings in oversight of placements abroad. The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate says it receives reports concerning teenagers deprived of schooling, locked up, physically restrained, or forced to work long, arduous days without pay.
However, these incidents are not directly attributed to the facility established in Morocco. Multi Plus Zorg rejects any connection with the abuses reported at other establishments. The organization assures that its placements in Morocco are voluntary, decided upon with the young people, their parents, child-protection services, and municipalities, and then monitored by several professionals.
The main problem remains the lack of on-site oversight. The Dutch inspectorate cannot investigate abroad, while social workers and municipal officials rarely travel to the establishments concerned. Monitoring therefore relies largely on video calls, described as an “empty shell” by Mariëlle Bruning.
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Yet the authorities have been aware of these risks since 2009. A new warning had been issued to municipalities in 2019, without Parliament being informed. The government does not even know how many children receiving Dutch social assistance currently live abroad: the last census dates back to 2007 and counted 330 at the time.
The Dutch minister responsible for youth, Mirjam Sterk, considers the situation concerning. Parliament has already called for such placements abroad to be limited as much as possible, without banning them, however.