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As is the case for almost the entire rest of the world, the internet and its incredible growth over the past decades has had a major impact on the Dutch Caribbean as well. From Aruba to St. Eustatius and from St. Maarten to Curaçao, the internet has changed and is still changing practically all aspects of society and life in general throughout the Caribbean region. As a result of these developments, a working and efficient access to the internet has evolved from a luxury into a necessity on the islands. A basic necessity even, which is why various organizations, government agencies, and foundations in the Dutch Caribbean and outside are working to have a decent connection to the online world recognized as a basic human right for all of its people.
The COVID-19 reality check
The global coronavirus pandemic that has been ravaging the planet since 2019 has been a reality check for a lot of people and countries in a lot of ways, but few things were more emphasized since first outbreak in Wuhan, China, than the crucial importance of the internet to the daily lives of people, companies, and governments everywhere. Sure, it's been bad up until now, but just imagine how societies around the world would have had to cope with school closures, movement restrictions, and social lockdowns had the internet not existed.
The COVID-19 pandemic will also have long-lasting effects on our way of living, because it's hard to imagine that life will “go back to normal” at some point in the future. We will, hopefully, be able to toss the masks and the social distancing measures to the side sooner or later, but it's unlikely that life as a whole will completely return to how it once was. One of the areas in which a complete return to before feels unlikely, for example, is the way in which business, organizations, and government make use of the internet. Even after the pandemic is no longer classified as a danger to the public health, “new” practices like working from home, virtual classrooms, and online appointments will very likely permanently occupy a bigger space in our personal and professional daily lives.
The internet as a basic human right
Organizations like ICT Pulse, a blog dedicated to ICT issues from a Caribbean perspective, are advocating for the internet to become a basic human right in the Dutch Caribbean, but they are not the only ones. Back in 2016, for example, the United Nations passed an official, but non-binding Resolution declaring internet a human right. Unfortunately, and partly as a result of its non-binding nature, the Resolution has not had such a big impact on the improvement of internet access around the world.
To a certain extent, the same goes for the authorities and organizations who are working to improve internet access for everyone in the Dutch Caribbean. As a result, there are still communities throughout the region that can not count on a stable internet connection, either because it's too expensive or because the network has not been extended to the communities in question yet. In any case, this means that there are children in the region who, as a result of school closures, have not had access to (consistent) education for almost two years...
In other words, unlike water and electricity, internet access is still not recognized or at least treated as a basic human right in the Dutch Caribbean, despite its obviously crucial role in society. Seeing as internet access has proven to be a potential socioeconomic booster for entire countries and regions, improved access to the online world for citizens of the Caribbean region has to remain on the political and economic agendas in the region. It can play a determining role in the durable preservation of the Dutch Caribbean.
The basis for this article was originally published on www.ict-pulse.com on November 12th, 2021.
