Safety
If you do not feel safe, there are a number of organisations which can help you. Please contact them without delay if you do not feel safe.
Police, Fire Brigade and Ambulance
In the event of an emergency you should call 112. If you need the police in a non-emergency situation, you should call 0900-8844.
Feeling safe at home [Veilig Thuis]
If you do not feel safe with your host family or in your reception centre, please telephone: 0800 2000 (available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week), or go to the website: https://veiligthuis.nl.
Feeling safe as a refugee
The brochure produced by the Coordination Centre against Human Trafficking [Centrum tegen mensenhandel] (CoMensha) contains a number of tips on how to stay safe as a refugee. The brochure contains information about how to identify the risks of exploitation and human trafficking. You can find the brochure in this information folder.
You can find more information about human trafficking and what action you should take at www.comensha.nl.
Open water swimming
The Dutch lifeguard organisation [Nederlandse Reddingsbrigade] has produced two brochures containing information on how to stay safe when swimming in open water. A folder is available on swimming in the sea and another is available on swimming in lakes. You can find the brochures at the end of this information folder. You can find more information about open water swimming at www.reddingsbrigade.nl.
NB: It is dangerous to swim in the Zaan, which is the river that flows through Zaanstad, and swimming is therefore prohibited.
