The Strength of a Woman Who Speaks Out

Dagmar Oudshoorn: The Strength of a Woman Who Speaks Out

From mayor to senior police leadership and director of Amnesty International Netherlands, Dagmar Oudshoorn knows the places where decisions are made. She also knows what it feels like to be judged by the colour of her skin. With Surinamese roots and a strong sense of justice, she uses her experience to work towards a society in which everyone’s rights matter.

Power brings responsibility. Who protects citizens when the government oversteps its boundaries? Who keeps listening to people who are excluded? These questions resonate throughout Dagmar Oudshoorn’s career. She has led Amnesty International Netherlands since 1 January 2020, following years in public administration and the police. Her professional setting changed; her commitment to society remained.

Surinamese Roots, a Childhood in Zeeland

Oudshoorn grew up in Goes as an only child, raised by her Dutch mother. Her grandparents lived nearby. Her Surinamese father left her life when she was very young. She has spoken openly about this in interviews, without allowing his absence to define her childhood. She describes a loving home where money was limited, but interest in the wider world was abundant.

That household laid the foundations for her social awareness. Reading the newspaper, discussing ideas and standing up for others were part of her upbringing. Equality was a value demonstrated through everyday life.

As a child of colour in a predominantly white environment, she experienced discrimination. At the same time, she felt supported by family and friends. Her identity cannot be reduced to a single narrative: it has been shaped by her childhood in Zeeland, her Surinamese heritage and the conviction that she has every right to be herself.

Leadership from Within

Her career took her through child protection, the prison service and local government. From 2006 to 2010, she chaired Rotterdam’s Feijenoord district administration. Eight years as mayor of Uithoorn followed. In 2018, she became Head of Operations for the Amsterdam police unit.

That experience gives her a distinctive perspective. She understands administrative decision-making, the realities of public safety and the responsibilities that come with government authority. At Amnesty, she applies that knowledge within an organisation that holds governments accountable for human rights.

When Injustice Becomes Personal

For Oudshoorn, discrimination is no abstract issue. She has described being asked for identification at a railway station as a student, and later discovering that her name had appeared for years on a Dutch Tax Administration list of potential fraudsters, without receiving an explanation.

Such experiences affect trust: trust that the government will treat you fairly and that the same rules apply to everyone. Oudshoorn connects her personal experiences to her work against ethnic profiling. She also stresses that this work was part of Amnesty’s mission long before she became its director.

Her strength lies in turning experience into action: asking questions, demanding accountability and continuing to push for change.

Acknowledging the Past, Changing the Future

As chair of the Advisory Board of the Slavery Past Dialogue Group, Oudshoorn presented the report Ketenen van het verleden (Chains of the Past) on 1 July 2021. Its message was clear: acknowledgement, apologies and reparative action should guide the Netherlands’ response to its history of slavery.

The recommendations also addressed the continuing impact of that history. Education, research and tackling institutional racism received particular attention. In doing so, the advisory board connected historical responsibility with concrete challenges in the present.

On 19 December 2022, the Dutch government apologised for the country’s history of slavery when presenting its response to the report. As chair, Oudshoorn contributed to a process that many individuals, organisations and communities had worked towards for years.

Keeping Space Open for Protest

The right to protest is another focus of her work. In 2025, Amnesty and six individual co-claimants brought legal proceedings against the municipality of Amsterdam over the blanket demonstration ban imposed in November 2024. Oudshoorn emphasised that space for peaceful protest must remain available, particularly during periods of social tension.

This is where the description powerlady takes on meaning: in her willingness to accept responsibility and keep difficult issues open for discussion. For SurinamStars, her story reveals the many forms that leadership with Surinamese roots can take. In a mayor’s office, within the police and at the head of a human rights organisation, the same question remains relevant: how do we ensure that everyone is seen, heard and treated fairly?