1 month Ago
A New Way to Address Bias
The new test is designed to identify forms of unequal treatment in organizations that serve the citizen. The test is concerned particularly with discrimination on the grounds of gender, disability, religion, and socio-economic background, to protect the most vulnerable from unfair treatment and advance equality in public administration.
Joyce Sylvester, who is the chair of the commission, stated that the test consists of four sessions, whereby institutions critically appraise their own work. "It really gets results," she explains regarding the method, having given the 'X-ray' of possible discrimination.
Piloting and Creating Results
Before the nationwide launch, the test underwent a pilot on several organisations such as DUO, customs, and the municipality of Arnhem. In the pilot, these organisations investigated how they were treating people internally around DUO's living away from home grants, customs checks returning from holiday and municipal address database checks. The pilot had favourable outcomes, and improvements were implemented that will ameliorate the risk of discrimination.
The launch of the test is a tangible step towards a more transparent and equitable public service delivery model in the Netherlands.
