Seven organisations and NGOs have condemned Belgium’s reception policies for asylum seekers, warning it has entered a "new and alarming phase."
In their fifth report on the issue, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Ciré, BelRefugees, Caritas International, and the Humanitarian Hub analysed Belgium’s reception policy and its consequences for asylum seekers.
The Federal Government is accused of escalating its "illegal strategy of systematic exclusion” despite more than 15,000 court rulings.
The organisations added that recent federal measures, implemented since August, include reducing reception capacity, systematically excluding certain groups, and cutting social services for many asylum seekers.
These measures, the report claims, could leave "thousands of people homeless and without access to healthcare."
The organisations highlight that fewer than one in ten asylum seekers using the Humanitarian Hub are housed in Fedasil centres, with most sleeping on the streets, in emergency shelters, or squats.
Nearly 88% of asylum seekers reportedly face health issues directly tied to their precarious living conditions, while a significant majority also suffer from psychological distress. Unaccompanied minors were identified as particularly vulnerable.
The NGOs described Belgium’s current policy as "unacceptable," and claimed that the government is deliberately violating its legal and moral obligations. They urge authorities to implement "a humane, dignified, and rights-based reception policy."
