The Flemish Minister in charge of Living Together, Bart Somers, has accused the inter-federal centre for equal opportunities, UNIA, for abandoning some of its constituents.
The fact that UNIA indicates on its website that, pending its departure from Flanders, scheduled for March 2023, it is no longer processing cases in Dutch-language education and housing is "surprising," the Open Vld minister said.
"Unia is letting people down," he added during a debate in the Flemish Parliament on a decree creating the Flemish Institute for Human Rights, VMRI.
The Flemish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Commission gave the green light on Tuesday to the creation of the VMRI, which is required to offset the Flemish withdrawal from UNIA in March 2023.
UNIA noted on its website that, pending the withdrawal, the centre would continue to record reports of discrimination relating to proficiency in Flemish. However, it said, "UNIA is not opening any new case in connection with discrimination in Dutch-language education and housing in Flanders."
Flemish parliamentarian Tom Ongena (Open Vld) drew attention to the issue during the debate, describing UNIA's attitude as "scandalous."
He was joined in this by Somers, who commented that "what Unia is doing now is unacceptable."
According to the minister, UNIA "is abandoning" discriminated tenants. "We will be paying UNIA until 15 March. We are contributing so that UNIA can protect these people. Their saying now that they are no longer doing so is totally unacceptable," he stressed. "And even if we were no longer to pay them, an institution like UNIA would be expected to keep defending these people.
"The fact that they are not doing so is amazing to me," Somers said.
