Artikel 1: Equal treatment and prohibition of discrimination

Artikel 1

All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted.

In andere talen:

English

All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted.

Français

Tous ceux qui se trouvent aux Pays-Bas sont, dans des cas égaux, traités de façon égale. Nulle discrimination nest permise, quelle se fonde sur la religion, les convictions, les opinions politiques, la race, le sexe, le handicap, l’orientation sexuelle ou tout autre motif.

Deutsch

Alle, die sich in den Niederlanden aufhalten, werden in gleichen Fällen gleich behandelt. Niemand darf wegen seiner religiösen, weltanschaulichen oder politischen Anschauungen, seiner Rasse, seines Geschlechtes, seiner Behinderung, seiner sexuellen Orientierung oder aus anderen Gründen diskriminiert werden.

Español

Todos los que se encuentran en los Países Bajos serán, en casos iguales, tratados de igual manera. No se permitirá discriminación alguna por razón de religión, creencias, convicción política, raza, sexo, diversidad funcional, orientación sexual o cualquier otra consideración.

Toelichting

Please note: only the Dutch version of the Constitution applies. Article 1 concerns the principle of equality.

This principle mandates the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary to treat people in equal cases in an equal manner when establishing rules or making decisions. However, an equal case is not necessarily the case if there is a justified difference. For instance, requirements may be set regarding people's level of education to be allowed to practice a particular profession. But no distinction may be made on the grounds of, for example, religion or gender. For instance, men and women must earn the same amount if they perform the same work or work that is very similar.

Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political affiliation, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or any other ground whatsoever is prohibited. The words "or on any other ground whatsoever" extend the prohibition of discrimination to grounds other than those mentioned in this article, such as age.

This article is further elaborated in the General Equal Treatment Act. Article 137 of the Criminal Code contains provisions under which discrimination can be punished.