| Amsterdam has a high proportion of ethnic minorities | | | | Amsterdam TV Broadcasting Association for |
| compared with the rest of Europe, currently 45%. The | | | | Immigrants (MTV). The Municipality has installed five |
| population register now contains over 150 different | | | | advisory bodies to assist it in its migrants' policy.The |
| nationalities. In ten years' time half the population will be | | | | policy on womenSupport for the emancipation of |
| of foreign origin.The City spends substantial sums to | | | | women and of people who are subject to |
| prevent the formation of ghettos in boroughs with an | | | | discrimination based on their sexual preferences is part |
| over-representation of ethnic minorities. A Social | | | | of the city's policy. The city pursues a specific |
| Diversity Policy paper published in the summer of 1998 | | | | emancipation policy and in 1995 installed the |
| will give new impetus to the City's minorities strategy. It | | | | Ombudsman Service for Women to deal with |
| will deal with any groups who might suffer social | | | | complaints relating to the legal and social position of |
| discrimination. Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution forbids | | | | 'black, white and immigrant women' in Amster-dam. |
| discrimination on the grounds of a person's beliefs, race | | | | Adresses of more than a hundred help, advice and |
| or sexual preferences. In 1996 the Municipality of | | | | contact organisations are included in the 'Yellow Pages |
| Amsterdam added its own code of conduct for local | | | | for Women' (Gele Gids voor Vrouwen) published by |
| authority staff to this Article, plus a complaints scheme | | | | the Multicultural Emancipation Bureau.Jewish |
| and an anti-discrimination office. The ethnic composition | | | | AmsterdamAmsterdam has had a Jewish quarter for |
| of the civil service in the city must reflect the | | | | more than 350 years. The district was de-populated |
| population of the city. The main ethnic minority groups | | | | during the German Occupation in World War |
| are Creoles and Hindustanis from Surinam (72,000), | | | | Two.Initially the quarter lay outside the city walls and |
| Moroccans (57,000), Turks (35,000) and immigrants | | | | was inhabited mainly by Jews originating from Spain |
| from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (12,000). | | | | and Portugal, including the family of the philosopher |
| Amsterdam also contains around 26,000 Chinese, and | | | | Baruch Spinoza. Rembrandt felt at home in the |
| has its own 'Chinatown', situated in the Nieuwmarkt | | | | colourful Jewish environment, encountered wonderful |
| area. In 2000, the first Chinese Buddhist temple opened | | | | models there and had his house built in |
| on Zeedijk. There are also around 76,000 migrants | | | | Jodenbreestraat: Rembrandt's House. The 17th century |
| from other non-industrialised countries, such as Ghana | | | | also saw the start of an influx of Jews from Central |
| and Pakistan. The local Salto cable network transmits | | | | and Eastern Europe to Amsterdam. |
| programmes made for and by immigrants on the | | | | |