34 minSeason 35 • Episode 6
LatestIn the Netherlands, there are hundreds of children and young people for whom agencies seem to have no solution; they are suicidal, violent, or labeled as unmanageable and are shuffled from one crisis placement to another. Now that closed youth care is being phased out at an accelerated pace and suitable alternatives are lacking, care providers are increasingly resorting to expensive emergency solutions such as long-term one-on-one supervision in remote locations. 17-year-old Lex, who has already been transferred more than ten times, shows how a system grinds to a halt when the most severe care needs can no longer find a place.
Zembla is a Dutch television documentary programme by VARA and NPS. The documentaries are based on in-depth research which can take months. The subjects are often controversial. A documentary in 2001 about fraud in the Dutch construction sector led to parliamentary inquiries. In May 2006 the programme exposed the fact that politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali had lied in her claim for asylum, which led to her resignation from parliament.
Writing
Months of research distilled into devastating 35-minute takedowns.
Production
Real consequences: actual parliamentary inquiries triggered.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Zembla essentially functions as a fourth branch of Dutch government—parliament literally cannot function without its research.
The Hirsi Ali episode caused the cabinet to collapse; Dutch journalists call it 'the Zembla effect' when their reporting triggers political earthquakes.
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