The number of cases of aggression against Flemish employment agency VDAB mediators has increased by 45% in a single year, to 633 incidents in 2025,
"This is absolutely unacceptable," said Flemish Employment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA), according to reports by Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen, and Het Belang van Limburg on Friday.
In East Flanders and Limburg, the number of cases of aggression increased by more than half. In Flemish Brabant, the number even tripled.
Most cases of aggression involve verbal abuse, but physical aggression also occurs: throwing objects, pushing, spitting, or kicking. The police had to intervene twelve times last year. And in Antwerp and Ghent, security guards are even present at the VDAB offices during peak times.
According to the spokesperson for the Flemish employment service, Joke Van Bommel, the limitation of unemployment benefits over time plays a role in the increased aggression.
"But in general, you also clearly see a social trend of violence against those who work for the government. At the OCMW, the police, De Lijn, and so on. Contacts are becoming more brutal."
