A rally is set to take place on Saturday at 2:00 pm in front of the Brussels Palace of Justice ahead of World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse on 18 November.
The event is being organised by Belgian associations Patouche and Ensemble contre l’inceste, in response to a mobilisation call from the French organisation “Collectif Enfantiste.”
In an open letter, around twenty feminist collectives and public figures criticised the Youth Protection Service of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the Office of Birth and Childhood (ONE), and the General Delegate for Children’s Rights, Solaÿman Laqdim, for shortcomings in protecting children from sexual violence.
Sofélia, a federation of family planning centres, noted that Belgium lacks official statistics on incest, though such data exists in France. A 2021 study estimated that 10% of the French population had experienced incest, equivalent to two or three children per classroom.
The letter signatories emphasised that incest severely violates children’s fundamental rights as guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Belgium.
While recognising the criminalisation of incest in Belgium’s penal code as a significant step, they argued this measure is “largely insufficient” to address the societal and structural scale of the issue.
To tackle these challenges, the signatories called for several initiatives, including the creation of an expert body on incest, better support for victims and their families, training for professionals working with children, and accessible, confidential reporting mechanisms.
