The kingdom comprises the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. In the UNDP's Human Development Index, Holland comes seventh out of 169 countries. The headquarters of the International Criminal Court is in The Hague. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy; the monarch is the Head of State. Queen Beatrix I has reigned since 1980, and Mark Rutte has been Prime Minister since 2010.

The Parliament comprises the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) and the Senate (Eerste Kamer). General elections, which are considered free and fair, are held every four years. Representatives for the Lower house are directly elected, while those for the Senate are elected indirectly. The Senate can reject laws but cannot modify them or propose new laws. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet represent the governing coalition and hold the executive power. In 2010, the liberal VVD Party, which defends the free market, achieved a narrow victory (31 seats out of the 150) in the Netherlands parliamentary elections. The Labour Party social democrats (PvdA) came second by a narrow margin and have 30 representatives in the Parliament. Apart from the two main parties, the winner in these elections was Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), which more than doubled their seats in Parliament from 9 to 24. The PVV's central arguments were a rejection of mass immigration and a supposed "Islamisation of Holland" Out of the 150 members of the Lower house, 61 (40.7%) are women, and in the Senate, 26 out of 75 (34.7%).

In January 2011, the centre-right government decided to send a military mission to Afghanistan, a risky decision as in March 2010, the then centre-left cabinet, led by Jan Peter Balkenende, fell due to disagreements over the prolongation of the previous mission. In March 2011, after the provincial elections, the government was reduced to a minority in the Senate by one seat. This is the first Dutch government to find itself in this position since World War I. Some analysts argue that its supporters abandoned the party after it formed an alliance with the controversial Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV, which achieved ten seats in their first provincial elections.

Discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or social status is outlawed, and the law is strictly enforced. The judiciary is independent by law and in practice. Although no reports cite systematic police corruption, there are accusations of corruption among customs officers and police officers at Schiphol airport.

Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have to respond to expressions of concern made by the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and steps have been taken to address the concerns raised. The law provides for public access to government information, and both citizens and non-citizens receive information on request. Freedom of expression and press is ensured by law, and is generally respected. The government has been publicly requested to take strong measures against incitement to hate expressed in the media, and against Internet sites with anti-Semitic and racist content. The Netherlands is a country of transit and destination for trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Trafficking in persons is a criminal offence and continues to be a serious problem. The government closely cooperates with other countries in fighting against person trafficking. Some NGOs have also noted the existence of trafficking in persons for the purposes of labour. The Netherlands is known for social tolerance and liberal policies towards drugs, prostitution, and marriage between persons of the same sex, abortion and euthanasia. However, there is some concern over the increase in incidents targeting immigrants, in particular those concerning Muslims.

Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 4 and 16. Schools can request voluntary payments from parents, but they cannot deny children access to schools on account of non-payment. Enrolment is free for vocational training, but pupils' families have to pay for books and materials. Although around a quarter of pupils who drop out of school without qualifications later return and some therefore then achieve basic qualifications, the number of pupils dropping out of school is still too high.

Education is provided by both state schools and faith schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and Dutch Reformed Church. Muslim schools have also been opened to meet the educational needs of the Islamic community. Faith schools authorised by the government receive public funds but must follow the same school curriculum as other schools. After 6 years' primary education, pupils can choose between different types of secondary institutions. The vehicular language in education is Dutch, except in Frisia, where lessons are also given in Frisian. Statistics from the OECD reveal that the country will experience a shortage of teachers if large numbers of people are not brought into the profession within the next decade. The Netherlands provide public university studies and vocational training in 13 universities, 85 polytechnic institutes, and at the Open University. Schools follow a series of guidelines to counter discrimination. A special programme is used to highlight the persecution of the Jewish population during the Second World War. The Anne Frank Foundation creates material to be used in schools for promoting tolerance and understanding. Investment in education as a percentage of GDP was 38 billion euros in 2009. That amounts to 6.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the highest percentage since 1995.

A record number of students enrolled in higher education in 2009/10: 403,000 in higher vocational education and 223,000 at university. At the same time, enrolment figures for pupils in secondary education also increased. The increase in enrolment in higher education has boosted the number of graduates. In 1999, 27 % of women between the ages of 25 and 24 had a university degree. In 2009, the figure went up to 42%. Men in the same group went from 27% to 35%.

A 2-year programme starts at age 4. At this level, 69% of education is private. The net enrolment ratio (NET) is 97%.

Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16. Primary education begins at age 6 and lasts for 6 years. At this level, 69% of education is private. The NER is 99% (48% girls). Of pupils enrolled in the first-year course, 98% stay on to the last year of Primary Education

Secondary education begins at age 12 and lasts for 6 years. At this level, 83% of education is private. 7% of pupils at lower secondary level and 69% at upper secondary level study technical training programmes. The NET is 89%. 4% of pupils have to repeat a year's course. There are 108,149 secondary teachers (43% women). The number of pupils per teacher (PTR) is 13: 1 in secondary schools.

526,767 students (52% female) are studying at tertiary education institutions, giving a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 62%. Foreign students studying in the Netherlands come from North America and West Europe (10,770), Asia (3,229), Central and East Europe (2,304), Arab Countries (2,059), Latin America and the Caribbean (1,320) and Sub-Saharan Africa (668). Meanwhile, Netherlands students study in the UK (3,653), Australia (3,227), Denmark (1,524), USA (1,471) and Sweden (1,406).

The law makes it compulsory to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in education and other public services. The law is strictly enforced. The law provides that families of children with disabilities can choose between either a mainstream school or a special one. Children who need additional services due to having serious learning difficulties can access these services. To promote equal opportunities, supplementary funding is supplied to schools in financially deprived areas and where the percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is greater.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or status of refugee in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has established a system of protection. The government regularly cooperates with UNHCR. Education is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16, whatever the status of the immigrant, and schools receive subsidies to help support the education of refugees. Authorised refugees who do not speak Dutch attend special classes to learn the language, or mainstream classes where the teachers give them extra support. All municipalities receive a budget to provide native-language classes for foreign children. The lessons are free but not compulsory, and must be provided outside school hours. The municipalities choose which languages they are to provide. Language classes are also available to adult refugees.

In July 2010, new regulations extended asylum procedures to eight days, despite domestic and international criticism that this time frame is still considered to be insufficient to make accurate assessments, particularly for complex cases and vulnerable groups. In February 2010, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women criticised the Dutch fast-track procedures as inappropriate for women who are victims of violence and for unaccompanied children. The Committee urged the government to formally recognise gender-based violence and persecution as causes for granting asylum. In September 2010, under a new policy announced in July, the government deported a Somalian to Mogadiscio who had been denied asylum despite the UNHCR's guidelines which advise against deportations to Somalia.

Around 20% of the population is of foreign origin, including 1.7 million people belonging to the main minority groups, which are ethnic Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese and Antilles. Reports note the existence of discrimination in housing and employment. The unemployment rate for minorities groups is three times higher than that of the Dutch. The publication of racial and discriminatory material on the Internet has increased, as have tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

Under new immigration laws, which are stricter and in force since 2011, employers are legally obliged to:

Reports do not show any violations or restrictions on academic freedom.

Men and women have the same rights regarding property, the family, and the judicial system. 54% of women work outside the house, but mostly part-time. The lack of creches and nursery schools prevent many women from working full time. Women are under-employed and have less likelihood of promotion at work than men. Women in the private sector earn an average of 23% less than men. Positive discrimination programmes and collective agreements help to strengthen the position of women. Measures are in place to protect women from sexual harassment. Cases of domestic violence persist, and statistics show that 80% of the victims are women. The government provides resources for shelters for women victims of abuse. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is banned, but a report from the committee against FGM shows many girls are subjected to the practice. Prostitution is legal for over-18s provided it is voluntary. Trafficking of women for purposes of sexual exploitation continues to be a problem.

The minimum age for working is 16, but if teenagers continue studying they cannot work more than eight hours a week. The tripartite commission strictly enforces these laws. Work during the school holidays, and after the school day is complete, is subject to these regulations. Child-sex abuse committed by a Netherlands citizen within the Netherlands or outside the country is held to be a crime.

Workers have the right to join unions. Around 25% of workers belong to trade unions. Collective bargaining is a widespread practice, and around 86% of workers are covered by collective agreements negotiated by trade unions. The law provides for the right to strike, with the exception of public service employees providing essential services, for whom other measures for resolving conflicts are in place. Forced labour is illegal, but reports show it exists amongst victims of human trafficking. The working week is 40 hours, and 20 hours for part-time workers.

In December 2010, the Dutch Trades Union Confederation (FNV) launched a campaign aimed at people who employ cleaners, self-employed people, and other domestic help workers. The goal is to develop a "decent" work structure and to ensure that these workers (mostly women) are covered by the Social Security system and other benefits. The FNV considers it important to mobilise employers with the aim of putting pressure on politicians to improve the plight of these workers.

In the Netherlands, collective bargaining is decentralised and is carried out at a sector-based level. As a result, work conditions can vary from one sector to another, making it difficult for teachers to change to a different sector. At the same time, decentralisation, instead of providing more independence for schools and teachers, has created new levels of management in schools. The additional resources for education that the government has made available in the last few years often fail to reach the classrooms, and instead have been used to finance these new management bodies.

State of World Population 2010. "From Conflict and Crisis to Renewal: Generations of Change" UNFPA, November 2010, www.unfpa.org (Spanish)

Human Development Report 2010, "The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human

Development", Twentieth Anniversary Edition, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York, www.pnud.org

Women in National Parliaments, World Classification, Inter-Parlamentary Union, January 2011, www.ipu.org

Statistics Netherlands press release, 14 December 2010

Human Rights Watch, World Report 2011, European Union, www.hrw.org

www.aob.org.nl