Belgian anti-poverty groups and addiction experts have called for the suspension of the latest reform of the Individualised Social Integration Project, saying it would force people with addictions to undergo medical monitoring in order to receive social assistance.
Under the reform, recipients of the social integration income who are suspected of having an addiction by a social worker would have to undergo a medical examination and follow a treatment pathway or risk losing their benefits. The Belgian Anti-Poverty Network (BAPN) and several sector federations — Féda BXL, Fédito wallonne, VAD and VVBV — said they opposed the draft because it disproportionately targets people living in poverty.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the organisations said the second version of the reform was “neither realistic, nor pragmatic, nor ethical.”
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The groups said the new text failed to address the concerns they had raised in June with the minister responsible for social integration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA). According to the groups, they had warned against what they described as a moralising view of addiction, arguing that it runs counter to the current medical consensus.
Linking support from the public social welfare centres to medical conditions would undermine a range of fundamental rights and breach medical ethics, the organisations said, stressing that addiction is a serious mental health disorder and should not be treated differently from other illnesses.
The signatories also said the measure was impractical, warning that it could weaken care provision and place even more pressure on already overstretched public welfare centres.
They are calling for the reform to be suspended so that patient representatives, CPAS beneficiaries, and the federated entities can be properly consulted.
