Ode to Anne Martien van der Does | Changing children's lives and thereby making Amsterdam and the world a little more beautiful

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Dear Anne Martien,

Today I am writing an ode to you. Because between 2015 and 2023 you were the first municipal Children's Ombudsman, or rather -woman, of Amsterdam. And you inspired me.

When I was eleven years old, I got to know you. I was then a member of the first Amsterdam Children's Council. I think you were on the supervisory board at the time. I was very critical of the organization of the children's council, because I felt that children's voices should really be heard and that it was about content. I did not want to become a ribbon-cutter and you were the one who had an eye for that. I emailed you with my concerns and within a day you responded. A week later we sat down and I gave a presentation with my proposal around the organization. You took immediate action. I felt heard and seen.

In the same period you also conducted the Children's Rights Scan with the question: "To what extent are the rights of the child in Amsterdam respected?". An important study which showed that quite a few children's rights in Amsterdam are still under pressure. And where you recommended that 'children's rights and their protection should be part of the DNA of the municipality'.

I participated in this research as a respondent. After completing it, we had a conversation with each other to make the scan accessible to children. More and more we met at events or you invited me to meetings.
You taught me a lot about children's rights. For example, about the 3 P's of the Children's Rights Convention: provision, participation and protection. Every child has the right to all means to develop in the best possible way, to be heard and taken seriously and the right to a safe and protected environment to grow up in.

As the first municipal children's ombudsman, you tried to break through systems and were able to help many Amsterdam children in areas such as education, poverty and youth care. In doing so, you changed children's lives and made Amsterdam and the world a little more beautiful.

This is the reason I am writing my letter to you and why I think you deserve a place in Amsterdam's history. After all, you have made history. Your work, but also your passion have inspired and motivated me to work even more and even harder for what every child is entitled to. An equal chance, a voice that is heard and a safe and protected environment to grow up in.

With your departure as Children's Ombudsman, that battle is not yet over. There is still a whole world to be won when it comes to children's rights. But my thanks to you are great.

Love, Imane