The fifty people who went on hunger strike on November 17th in an abandoned building in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, were on their sixtieth day this Friday. A doctor looking after them says the strikers are getting increasingly worse, both physically and mentally and hospital visits are becoming a daily requirement.
The 50 hunger strikers are part of a group of 200 undocumented migrants, part of the "Voix des Sans-Papiers" organisation, and are demanding they be granted permanent residence.
"Some strikers tell us that this is the end for them, that they are willing to die and carry on their protest until the very end. All have had to go to hospital at some point and hospital visits are becoming a daily requirement because they regularly black out due to their extremely low blood sugar levels," said Hanne Bosselaers, a doctor caring for the strikers. "They are now only drinking water, although some are also taking vitamin D for their neurological system."
Doctors caring for the strikers have informed them about the irreversible health risks including, in particular, problems with the kidneys and the nervous system and brain damage," she added.
According to one undocumented migrant, one of the strikers tried to commit suicide during the night of Thursday to Friday. On January 12th, another undocumented migrant who had been on hunger strike for 35 days also tried to take her own life.
(Source: Belga)
