Holland Set To Apologise For 250 Years Of Slavery

The Dutch government is expected to apologise next week for the Netherlands’ role in 250 years of slavery.

The formal apology is set to be issued on December 19 and is expected to redress how the Netherlands exploited more than 600,000 people who worked as slaves in its former colonies.

According to local media reports, the government also plans to announce a 200 million-euro ($212.8m) fund to promote more awareness about the Netherlands’ role in slavery and another 27 million euros ($28.7m) to open a slavery museum.

The Netherlands’ involvement in slavery began in the 17th century when the transatlantic slave trade was already being carried out by European colonial like Spain and Portugal.

Through the Dutch West India Company (WIC), the Dutch Empire began colonising large parts of land in South America and the Caribbean and bought slaves from Africa.

In 1863, the Netherlands abolished slavery, becoming one of the last countries to do so. However, discussions about issuing an apology for Dutch slavery gained momentum after the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, according to media reports.