Suhendra Leon
SABA--The Foundation for Legal Aid and Equal Treatment in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba SRGB was established in October 2025 to provide free, independent legal assistance and support for residents experiencing discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands.
The foundation was established on the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security and the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, which also provide its funding. It operates under the name Lokèt Hurídiko in Bonaire and Legal Desk in Saba and St. Eustatius, building on an earlier Legal Desk pilot programme on the latter two islands.
Suhendra Leon – who is a former lawyer and substitute judge in St. Maarten – was appointed director of the foundation in October 2025.
In the following interview, the foundation's director discusses the challenges of establishing the service, the types of legal assistance available to residents, safeguards for confidentiality and the plans for a permanent presence on both islands.
Q. Could you explain what the foundation does and what kinds of legal problems residents of Saba and St. Eustatius can approach the Legal Desk for assistance with?
A. SRHB was established to provide free, independent first-line legal assistance and support for people experiencing discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands. Residents can approach us with a wide range of legal questions, including employment disputes, tenancy issues, family law matters, consumer problems and difficulties involving government institutions.
Our services are intended for individuals. We do not handle commercial matters or provide legal advice to businesses or organisations. Our role is to help people understand their legal position, explain their rights and obligations, and assist them in identifying possible solutions. Not everyone can afford a lawyer, and many people do not know where to turn when they encounter a legal problem. We want to make legal assistance more accessible.
Q. How does the assistance work in practice? For example, if someone approaches the Legal Desk with a dispute involving an employer or landlord, what kind of support can they expect to receive, and where does the foundation’s involvement end?
A. When someone approaches us, we first try to understand the problem and what the person wants to achieve. We examine the relevant circumstances and documents, explain their legal position and discuss the options available. For example, someone who has been dismissed from their job may not know whether the dismissal was lawful or what steps they can take. We can explain their rights, identify relevant deadlines and help them determine how to proceed. In a tenancy dispute, we might examine the rental agreement, explain the rights and obligations of both parties, and advise the client about possible solutions.
Depending on the circumstances, our assistance may also include helping someone draft a letter or formulate a response. There are, however, clear boundaries to our services. We provide first-line legal assistance and do not offer legal representation. We do not act as someone’s lawyer, represent clients in negotiations or court proceedings, or take over their cases.
Q. The foundation also assists residents who experience discrimination. What assistance can someone expect when filing a discrimination complaint, and what happens after that complaint has been made?
A. Discrimination is a separate and important part of our mandate. Residents who believe they have experienced discrimination can contact us, even if they are unsure whether what happened legally qualifies as discrimination. The assistance we provide depends on the circumstances and what the person wants to achieve. Sometimes someone simply wants to report an incident.
We can register that report for statistical purposes, even if the person does not wish to take further action. These registrations are important because they help us identify patterns and gain a better understanding of discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands. Other people want assistance in addressing what happened.
We can examine the complaint, explain the applicable legislation and advise on possible steps. Unlike our general first-line legal assistance, our discrimination services can also include representing and assisting complainants in addressing their complaints.
Depending on the circumstances, we may contact the other party to obtain their response, facilitate discussions in which both sides have an opportunity to explain their positions, and explore possible solutions. This process can sometimes help resolve a complaint without the need for formal proceedings.
Where appropriate, we can also assist clients in bringing a case before the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and represent them during those proceedings. Filing a discrimination complaint with us does not automatically mean that formal action will follow.
We discuss the available options with the person concerned and determine together what steps they wish to take. We do not approach the other party or initiate proceedings without discussing this with the client.
Q. The Legal Desk previously operated as a pilot project on Saba and St. Eustatius. What have you learnt from that experience, and have you identified particular legal issues that residents on these two islands frequently encounter?
A. Land ownership and inheritance matters were among the legal issues residents approached the pilot Legal Desk about. These can be complex matters, particularly when property has been passed down through generations or several family members have rights or interests in the same property.
The pilot also demonstrated the importance of making legal assistance accessible locally. We are building on the work done during the pilot while developing our own services. By systematically registering the types of legal questions we receive, we hope to gain a better understanding of recurring issues on both islands and identify subjects on which additional public information or legal education may be useful.
Q. The opening of permanent offices in Saba and St. Eustatius was postponed because of difficulties recruiting suitable candidates. Could you explain what challenges the foundation encountered during recruitment and how these have affected the introduction of services?
A. Recruitment is a challenge for many organisations operating on small islands, particularly when looking for specialised professionals. There is a relatively small pool of residents with a law degree, and recruiting someone from outside the island brings its own difficulties.
Not everyone is willing to relocate to a small island, particularly when salaries are generally lower than in the European Netherlands, while the cost of living can be considerably higher. There is also another consideration specific to the nature of our work.
In a small community, people often have extensive personal and family networks. If we recruit someone locally, we need to consider not only actual conflicts of interest, but also the appearance of partiality.
A legal professional may be perfectly capable of acting independently, but residents still need to feel confident that personal connections will not influence the assistance they receive. At the same time, we cannot simply recruit someone without an understanding of the Caribbean island communities.
Cultural awareness and familiarity with the local context are important when providing accessible legal assistance. We therefore need to find a balance between legal expertise, independence, cultural understanding and the practical realities of working and living on these islands.
Our initial recruitment process did not result in a suitable candidate. Rather than compromise on these requirements, we decided to extend the pilot until the end of September and introduce an interim arrangement from October. We are now in the final stages of discussions with a potential candidate who will help us to establish the physical locations starting 2027.
Q. Your staff will be visiting Saba and St. Eustatius monthly between October and December. How will these visits be organised, how can residents arrange appointments, and what arrangements are available for people who need urgent assistance between visits?
A. Residents can make appointments for these visits, and we will communicate the dates and locations. However, residents do not have to wait for a physical visit to receive assistance. We are also available for online/telephone appointments throughout the period, whether a matter is urgent or not.
For urgent matters, particularly when legal deadlines are involved, we encourage residents to contact us as soon as possible so that we can assess the situation and determine what assistance is needed. Residents can reach us by tel. 599-789-3030, or by tel. or WhatsApp at 599-701-3030. We are available Monday through Thursday during office hours.
Q. You indicated that the foundation expects to have a staff member permanently based in Saba and St. Eustatius from 2027. How would that arrangement work across two islands, and what is the expected timeline for establishing permanent offices on each island?
A. Our intention is to appoint a legal professional who will be permanently based on one of the two islands and provide services to residents of both Saba and St. Eustatius. The arrangement we envisage is that the legal professional will travel every other week to the island where they are not based.
Between those visits, residents of both islands will continue to have access to our services through online appointments. As for the offices, we have already secured a location on Saba. We expect that office to be ready for use within the next couple of months. On St. Eustatius, we are still looking for a suitable office space.
We need a location that is accessible to residents and offers sufficient privacy for confidential legal consultations. If anyone on St. Eustatius knows of a suitable office space that may be available, we would welcome them contacting us.
We aim to have permanent staffing arrangements in place from 2027, although the precise timeline for opening the office on St. Eustatius will depend on finding a suitable location.
Q. Some residents may be concerned about confidentiality, particularly when their complaints involve employers, government institutions or other prominent organisations. How does the foundation protect clients’ privacy and maintain its independence?
A. Confidentiality and independence are fundamental to our work, and we understand that these concerns can be particularly important in small communities where many people know one another. Our service providers are legal professionals who are bound by confidentiality obligations and have all signed non-disclosure agreements.
What clients discuss with us stays with us. We do not share information about individual cases with third parties unless this has been discussed with the client and is necessary or appropriate for the assistance being provided.
We are an independent foundation. Although we receive government subsidies, the ministries do not direct our legal work, and we are not required to inform any government authority about the contents of individual cases.
We are accountable for how we spend the public funds we receive, and our finances are subject to audit. That accountability concerns the use of subsidy funds, not the personal legal problems of the people who approach us.
We also take potential conflicts of interest seriously, particularly given the close personal and professional relationships that can exist in small island communities. Our independence means that we can advise residents about their rights even when their legal problems involve government institutions or other influential organisations.
Q. Looking ahead, what would you consider a successful first year for the foundation in Saba and St. Eustatius, and how will residents be able to assess whether the Legal Desk is making a difference?
A. For us, success is not simply about the number of people who use our services, but whether we are making a difference in their lives. We would consider our first year successful if we established a reliable presence on both islands, residents know where to find us and feel comfortable approaching us, including with sensitive legal issues.
We also want residents to have a better understanding of their rights and obligations, not only through individual legal assistance but also through public information and legal education.
Ultimately, our goal is for the Legal Desk to become a trusted, independent and accessible service that empowers residents to better understand and exercise their rights.
