LONDON
\nAmnesty International on Thursday condemned Belgium for denying asylum applications from thousands of people, \u201cforcing them into homelessness.\u201d
\nAmnesty accused the EU member of \u201cdiscrimination against racialized single men,\u201d which has \u201cimpacted the lives, dignity and human rights of people seeking asylum.\u201d
\nIt added: \u201cTo date, national and international courts have ordered the authorities in Belgium to provide reception more than 12,000 times.
\n\u201cBelgium has consistently refused to fully comply with the judgments, despite these being final and legally binding.\u201d
\nAmnesty interviewed people who have experienced homelessness while navigating Belgium\u2019s asylum system since 2021. Many said as well as being denied accommodation, access to healthcare is a major problem.
\nSayed, who traveled from Afghanistan, spent time in a squat in Brussels with other homeless migrants from October 2022 to 2023.
\n\u201cIn the beginning it was good enough, there were toilets and showers, and some people brought food in the afternoon,\u201d he told Amnesty.
\n\u201cBut slowly it was turned completely into a graveyard. Showers and toilets were broken, with the passage of time \u2026 Pee was coming up to the place where you were sleeping.\u201d
\nHe said ordinary Belgians and local charities had been welcoming, but the state had not been. \u201cPeople were feeling our pain, but not the authorities,\u201d he added.
\nPalestinian refugees Ahmet and Baraa, who fled the war Gaza last year, were also forced to live in a squat.
\n\u201cIt was cold \u2026 You can be starving, and no one will know about it. No one will help you,\u201d Ahmet said. \u201cI lost a lot of relatives and friends (in Gaza). My mother is severely wounded, my brothers and sister as well. I was thinking in their shoes: I just need to survive.\u201d
\nBaraa said he just wants a \u201csimple life, basic rights, a job, food in (my) stomach and just to live like a normal person. We had a life back in Gaza, but we just lacked the security and the safety there and that is why we left. That is why we came here: to find a safe place.\u201d
\nAmnesty said it fears that Belgium will continue to exacerbate the problem after its new government pledged to adopt \u201cthe strictest migration policy possible.\u201d
\nAmnesty urged the government \u201cto immediately provide sufficient reception places and ensure that all people seeking asylum are given adequate housing.
\n\u201cThey must ensure people have access to adequate healthcare services, including specialized psychological support, regardless of their housing situation.\u201d
\nIt also called on the EU to \u201censure that Belgium restores compliance\u201d with its legal obligations to asylum-seekers, \u201cincluding by launching infringement procedures if necessary.\u201d
\nEva Davidova, spokeswoman for Amnesty International Belgium, said the country\u2019s \u201cfailure to provide reception is not due to a lack of resources but a lack of political will.\u201d
\nShe added: \u201cThe previous government had ample time to resolve the homelessness situation and failed to do so.
\n\u201cThe current government is more concerned with reducing the number of people who receive asylum rather than addressing the very real harm inflicted on people seeking asylum currently in the country.
\n\u201cThe scale and duration of Belgium\u2019s persistent disregard for court orders raises questions as to how rights holders can have any hope of holding the Belgian government accountable, especially marginalized and racialized persons like those affected by this situation.\u201d
\nDavidova continued: \u201cBelgium is actively manufacturing a homelessness crisis which is bound to have a lasting adverse impact on people\u2019s lives and dignity, while civil society is left to pick up the pieces.
\n\u201cWithout urgent intervention, this crisis will deepen, further violating asylum-seekers\u2019 rights and eroding both the country\u2019s and the EU\u2019s commitment to human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Belgium for denying asylum applications from thousands of people, \u201cforcing them into homelessness.\u201d Amnesty accused the EU member of \u201cdiscrimination against racialized single men,\u201d which has \u201cimpacted the lives, dignity and human rights of people seeking asylum.\u201d It added: \u201cTo date, national and international courts have ordered the authorities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-470409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n