“Without social safety, there is no true freedom”

Bussum, June 20, 2025 — Addressing more than 900 certified confidential advisors, senior executives, and integrity and psychosocial‑safety professionals, Drs. Raúl Henriquez—Director and Secretary‑General of te Social and Economic Council (SER) of Curaçao —delivered a compelling address on Thursday, June 19, at the annual convention of the National Association of Confidential Advisors (LVV). The event, held at the Aalt Convention Center in Bussum, Netherlands, focused on framing social safety as the indispensable foundation of good governance.

At the invitation of LVV Chair Mrs. Ingrid te Brake, Henriquez emphasized, “The confidential advisor is not a passive complaint handler but an active guardian of human dignity, institutional justice, and—let there be no mistake—the legitimacy of organizations in both the public and private sectors.” He applauded the congress theme— “The Confidential Advisor in Motion: Moving Toward Proactivity”—as a sign of strategic foresight.

Henriquez warned that these challenges transcend geographic boundaries. “In Curaçao—and, mutatis mutandis, in Aruba, Sint Maarten, and the public bodies of Caribbean Netherlands—the same systemic vulnerabilities emerge throughout the Kingdom,” he asserted. “Silence, cultures of fear, informal loyalty pressures, and a dearth of safe, accessible reporting structures plague all.” He noted that in smaller societies, social proximity can suppress willingness to speak up, rendering the role of a trained, independent confidential advisor more critical than ever.

Framing social safety as a pillar of the social contract, Henriquez stressed, “The right to a safe, respectful, and integrity‑driven workplace is not a voluntary statement—it is a legal norm, rooted in international agreements such as the Convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) No. 190 and the Tripartite Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy.”

He highlighted Stop the Silence, a book presented to the SER of Curaçao, and its sequel, The Proactive Confidential Advisor, as indicative of a broader cultural shift. “These works signal a move from incident‑driven responses to preventive ethical leadership. Prevention is institutionally superior to cure and requires structural investment in knowledge exchange, standard‑setting, and professional certification,” Henriquez emphasized. He underscored that confidential advisors deserve a strategic place in governance and compliance—not merely as an appendage of HR policy.

Turning to broader societal implications, Henriquez called for concerted action: “Let us not only coordinate on policy but also converge ethically. Together, we must strive toward an intraregional legal and values framework that firmly anchors and sustainably empowers the confidential advisor.”

His address concluded with a resonant refrain: “Without social safety, there is no true freedom.”

The LVV annual congress in the Netherlands also featured keynote speakers, practical workshops, and a panel on the central role of trust in workplace relationships.