The far-right Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang wants to scrap the child benefits for the parents of juvenile delinquents because of their responsibility.
Additionally, "the Belgian nationality should be withdrawn from repeat underage criminals with dual nationality," said MP Barbara Pas, based on figures she received showing that the number of minors suspected of a criminal offence is on the rise, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
In 2015, the police registered 15,020 underage suspects. In 2018, this rose to 17,163. It was mostly boys involved in criminal activities, with 13,720 registered offences versus 3,235 girls. 329 suspects were even under the age of 14.
It is worth noting, according to Pas, that the increase is mainly in the group of young people who do not have a European nationality. The numbers for youths with a Belgian or dual nationality involved in crime, as well as those with a nationality from another European country, have decreased in recent years. However, the number of young people of non-European nationality has seen a strong increase, going from 1,494 in 2015 to 3,947 in 2018.
.@Barbara_Pas: "Voor minderjarigen die zich bezondigen aan criminele activiteiten dient de kinderbijslag te worden geschrapt. Van hardleerse minderjarige criminelen met de dubbele nationaliteit dient de Belgische nationaliteit te worden ingetrokken.”https://t.co/K0RLoZOSB3
— Vlaams Belang (@vlbelang) February 10, 2020
Translation of tweet: "Child benefits should be abolished for minors who engage in criminal activities. Belgian nationality should be withdrawn from hard-core underage criminals with dual nationality."
Juvenile delinquents often get away too easily with an alternative punishment, and then happily continue their criminal activities, according to Vlaams Belang.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times