Safety of scientists is under pressure worldwide. Dijkgraaf highlights the Netherlands
Studies on the safety of scientists primarily highlight the same thing: Things are not going well. More attention must be paid to this in the Netherlands as well, Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf believes.
Violence, threats, persecution, sexual harassment, the withdrawal of research funds...these are the kinds of issues many scientists around the world must deal with, as evidenced, for example, by the global counts carried out by Scholars at Risk.
At the request of Minister Dijkgraaf and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Utrecht law professor Janneke Gerards compiled additional studies, most of which indicate the same trend.
Climate
“Up to 40 percent of scientists conducting climate research have been threatened at one time or another,” Gerards said in a press release. “The same goes for scientists who did research on COVID-19. Faced with such threats, scientists do not dare to publish their research, engage in self-censorship, or even quit altogether. Women scientists and scientists from certain minority groups are particularly at risk in this regard.”
Minister Dijkgraaf, among others, highlights these problems in the Netherlands. As stated in his ministry’s news release: “Recently, the Inspectorate of Education reached solid conclusions about social safety at the Delft University of Technology. Safety is essential for scientists to do their important work.”
Dijkgraaf has previously championed the safety of scientists, and it was the topic of his first public speech. “Join me in standing up for the facts to protect our scientists,” he said at the time. A few months later, he launched the Safe Science (WetenschapVeilig) hotline, which scientists in need can turn to.
A worrying trend
He continues to highlight the value of science. “We rely on science to separate fact from misinformation and to tackle major problems such as climate change, inequality, and aging,” he said in the press release. “And science is also an important mainstay for our economy. The work of scientists is crucial. Therefore, the increasing insecurity of scientists is a very worrying trend.”
