Cancellation of next stay of guests in Shelter City Netherlands

Last Friday, Justice and Peace Netherlands made the difficult decision to cancel the next round of human rights defenders (HRDs) coming to Shelter City in the Netherlands in March 2020 for their three-month stay. This unfortunate decision is due to the recent developments surrounding the COVID-19 corona virus and the impact that this is currently having on daily life in the Netherlands.

As a network, we are devastated to not be able to provide the necessary support to the upcoming group of HRDs. The announced measures by the Dutch government on Thursday, 12 March and the information that has followed confirmed that it would not be possible to offer a safe stay in the Netherlands to the upcoming group of HRDs. The health and safety of our guests and Shelter City partners is our key priority. A stay in which someone has to stay home in isolation for weeks on end is not desirable for anyone.

As we cannot predict how long this situation will continue, we are exploring the possibility to host this group of HRDs in the next period of Shelter City in the Netherlands in autumn 2020. Other alternative relocations options are also being explored for guests in need of immediate support. In addition, we will see what we can offer remotely in the coming period, such as online security trainings.

From all of us in the Shelter City Network and at Justice and Peace Netherlands, we thank you for your understanding.

Our office in The Hague will remain closed for the upcoming weeks until further notice. Justice and Peace staff will be working from home. For questions or concerns, you may contact info@[at]justiceandpeace.nl or info[at]sheltercity.org.