The Belgian authorities continue to deny reception to thousands of people seeking asylum, forcing them into homelessness, in violation of the country’s obligations under international, EU and Belgian law, Amnesty International said today.
In a new report, ‘Unhoused and Unheard: How Belgium’s persistent failure to provide reception violates asylum seekers’ rights’, Amnesty International documents how Belgium’s actions since October 2021 have impacted the lives, dignity and human rights of people seeking asylum. It reveals discrimination against racialized single men and how the authorities’ failure to abide by international obligations and follow court orders, sets a worrying precedent.
Since 2021, when Belgium saw a rise in the number of asylum applications after the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the authorities have continuously failed to adapt the reception system to the demands of the new situation, including by increasing the number of available reception places. During this time, authorities have mostly denied reception to racialized single men seeking asylum. Currently, over 2,500 people are on the reception waiting list.
To date, national and international courts have ordered the authorities in Belgium to provide reception more than 12,000 times. Belgium has consistently refused to fully comply with the judgments, despite these being final and legally binding.
In 2025, Belgium’s new federal government boasted that it will adopt “the strictest migration policy possible”. Amnesty International fears that the plans of the new government risk further exacerbating the situation for people seeking asylum.
“Belgium’s failure to provide reception is not due to a lack of resources but a lack of political will,” said Eva Davidova, spokesperson for Amnesty International Belgium.
“The previous government had ample time to resolve the homelessness situation and failed to do so. The 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. The scale and duration of Belgium’s 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.”
The report is based on research conducted by Amnesty International between October 2024 and January 2025, including interviews with people seeking asylum who experienced homelessness in Belgium between 2021 and 2024. Additional interviews were conducted with migration lawyers and representatives of civil society organizations.
Poor living conditions and obstacles to accessing healthcare
People seeking asylum who were denied accommodation often ended up homeless, living on the streets and in squats. They faced numerous barriers to accessing healthcare, leading to a further deterioration of their situation.
Sayed, a young man from Afghanistan, spent months in the infamous ‘Palais des droits’ squats, in Brussels, from October 2022 to January 2023. “In the beginning it was good enough, there were toilets and showers, and some people brought food in the afternoon. But slowly it was turned completely into a graveyard. Showers and toilets were broken, with the passage of time…Pee was coming up to the place where you were sleeping”.
Ahmet and Baraa, both Palestinian men who fled Gaza, arrived in Belgium in September 2024. They lived in a squat which housed six or seven people per room. Ahmet described how the squat lacked hot water, mattresses, or blankets: “It was cold. […] You can be starving, and no one will know about it. No one will help you.” Both men experienced immense personal loss in Palestine. Ahmet stated, “I lost a lot of relatives and friends. My mother is severely wounded, my brothers and sister as well. I was thinking in their shoes: I just need to survive.”
Civil society organizations and volunteers have shown admirable empathy and solidarity towards affected people, stepping in to provide emergency relief, but their resources are limited and they should not be expected to make up for the state’s failures.
“People were feeling our pain, but not the authorities,” recalled Sayed.
Long term impacts of homelessness
The lack of reception also profoundly impacts people’s future prospects in Belgium, limiting their access to the labour market or education. Interviewees highlighted that they are not allowed to work because they lack a fixed address.
Baraa, a man from Gaza, voiced how he just wished for a “simple 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.”
“This report should be a wake-up call for the Belgian government and the EU. Belgium is actively manufacturing a homelessness crisis which is bound to have a lasting adverse impact on people’s lives and dignity, while civil society is left to pick up the pieces. Without urgent intervention, this crisis will deepen, further violating asylum seekers’ rights and eroding both the country’s and the EU’s commitment to human rights,” Eva Davidova said.
No more excuses, both Belgium and the EU must act
Amnesty International urges the Belgian government to immediately provide sufficient reception places and ensure that all people seeking asylum are given adequate housing. They must ensure people have access to adequate healthcare services, including specialized psychological support, regardless of their housing situation. Belgian authorities must also activate the ‘dispersal plan’ outlined in domestic law and implement contingency plans to manage fluctuations in the number of asylum applications.
In the meantime, the organization calls on the Belgian government to provide civil society organizations assisting asylum seekers with financial and logistical support to ensure they can continue their vital work making up for the state’s inaction.
The European Commission should ensure that Belgium restores compliance with the Reception Conditions Directive, including by launching infringement procedures if necessary. The failure of Belgium to provide reception is not an isolated issue but a test of the EU’s commitment to upholding fundamental human rights.
Background
While Belgium’s persistent refusal to respect the human rights of people seeking asylum has been ongoing since 2021 and has been previously condemned by Amnesty International, this new publication underlines its human impact.