Brussels Court Halts Eviction of Moroccan Mother in Molenbeek Social Housing Dispute

Khadija Chaou was to vacate the premises by July 19 at the latest, following the decision of a justice of the peace rendered last January. The Moroccan woman appealed this decision before seizing the Brussels Court of First Instance to request its cancellation, pending the case being heard on appeal. She justifies her approach by the difficulty of finding another social housing, both in the public and private sectors.

The court has just ruled in her favor, considering that the eviction would be more detrimental to the interests of the mother and her four children than to the Logement Molenbeekois. "Maintaining Mrs. Chaou on the premises does not lead, on the part of the Logement Molenbeekois, to a damaging situation comparable to that which she and her children would suffer," the court ruled in a judgment reported by RTBF.

It is for this reason that the judge decided to "take an urgent provisional and protective measure, and to prohibit the eviction of Mrs. Chaou and her children [...] until a final decision has been made [...] on appeal". For its part, the Brussels Regional Housing Company (SLRB) plans to review the eviction procedures, particularly in the event of an appeal.