NGOs Warn of Crisis for Unaccompanied Migrant Minors in Brussels

According to the four organizations, many unaccompanied foreign minors (MENA) are left to their own devices on the streets of Brussels due to lack of resources to accommodate them, reports Belga. In 2020, Belgium had between 600 and 700 minors on the street and in the various centers (Fedasil, Red Cross, etc.), according to official data. During the first six months of 2021, SOS Jeunes says it has met 475, or nearly 95% of those encountered throughout 2020.

According to the associations, the solutions envisaged to meet the needs of unaccompanied foreign minors are inadequate. "What is striking is the extreme vulnerability of these children facing migratory paths marked by the same violence as that of adults," explains Julien Buha Collette, head of mission at Médecins sans frontières.

"Nearly 163 housing requests had to be refused to minors and they have to return to the street or to the squats of very young children due to lack of suitable places," says Medhi Kassou, spokesperson for the Citizens’ Platform, estimating that "it is abnormal that a humanitarian organization finds itself obliged to deploy emergency housing solutions to make up for the structural shortcomings of a country, especially when it comes to welcoming minors".

"The phenomenon is real and has existed for many years. We are talking at the European level about tens of thousands of MENA," declares Sammy Mahdi, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, to Bel RTL. These particularly vulnerable migrants are difficult to guide towards asylum procedures, he acknowledges, but assures that it is an issue that "we are trying to work on as best we can". Two solutions are possible: guide foreign minors towards an asylum procedure "if they are in real danger in their country of origin" or collaborate with the country of origin with a view to a return.