Asylum seekers also sleep on the street in Brussels: ‘Take care of humane reception’
Riet Dhont of the volunteer organization Friendship Without Borders viewed the situation in Brussels with regret in recent months. “Every morning the line at the entrance to the application center grows.”
‘Lone men often sent away’
More and more asylum seekers are being turned away. “People who were previously turned away stay overnight in the park from the street in the neighborhood, and again every morning to get in.”
“Children and families are usually not allowed in, but single men are often turned away. They have less priority.”
‘People are forced to sleep on the street’
Local residents complain about when they act on the street and cause nuisance. The municipality has therefore recently set up a police team to prevent asylum seekers from sleeping on the street in the area. Another registration center has also opened this week, a few kilometers away.
The asylum seekers are now moving to other places, but the problem remains, says Thomas Willekens of Vluchtelingenwerk BelgiĆ«. “The problem is the same as in the Netherlands. There are too few shelters, people are consistently still forced to sleep on the street.”
poignant scenes
Volunteers bring fresh water, coffee, breakfast and soup every day. “And there is a day care of the Red Cross,” says Dhont.
“But there is a great lack of sanitation,” she continues. “The asylum seekers defecate in cafes near the parks. And they haven’t seen a shower for weeks, possibly also causing medical problems.”
‘The problem is identical’
According to Willekens, the cause of the shortage is also that in the Netherlands. After the asylum peak of 2015 for Syrians, the asylum centers in Belgium have been rapidly phased out and closed.
And just like in the Netherlands, there are problems with placing asylum seekers who have already been admitted. It turned out not to be easy to find a home for them, as they consistently continue to live in the asylum shelter. And so occupy the place of the new influx there. “The problem is identical to the Dutch situation,” Willekens says.
Negative Imaging
According to Willekens, there is less public outrage in Belgium about the situation than in the Netherlands. Most people react to it resignedly, because they are mainly single men. This is different from whole families sleeping on the street, he says.
But the role of politics also contributes to a negative image. “The government time and time again that they reported much earlier in another country and that they therefore do not have to make their application here.”
‘Now provide humane reception’
Dhont also thinks that the Belgians view asylum seekers too negatively. Side formation with her organization to change that negative image. For example, she visits schools, holds information sessions with young people and sometimes takes them to the reception camps.
“The government here is constant that there are too many refugees,” says Dhont. “But she never says how many refugees there are indigenous to those countries themselves. There are millions and there comes. These are people who have pushed themselves to the limit. They have braved the sea and endured all kinds of hardships. You can do a little more there. have respect for it. So make sure you provide humane reception.”