Antwerp plans to keep ban on begging despite social and legal criticism

The city of Antwerp has no plans to overturn its ban on begging, Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA) has said, despite the Council of Europe stating that begging is a human right and that local regulations restricting it violate the European Social Charter.

Antwerp’s restrictions primarily target tourist areas, including shopping streets, the areas around football stadiums and spaces within 100 metres of railway stations.

Antwerp’s police regulations also include the concept of "aggressive begging", which can mean approaching passers-by, moving between tables on a terrace or begging in the presence of a child.

But the rules are unlawful, according to a 17 August decision from the European Committee of Social Rights, a body of the Council of Europe.

Municipal regulations that prohibit or restrict begging infringe upon the right to protection against poverty, guaranteed by Article 30 of the charter, which Belgium ratified in 1990.

The appeal was lodged by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the International Movement ATD Fourth World, based on a 2023 study by the Federal Institute for Human Rights and the Anti-Poverty Service which found that of the 305 begging regulations identified in Belgium, 83% contravened human rights.

“In Belgium, begging was long considered a criminal offence,” said Mieke Schrooten, a researcher at the University of Antwerp and Odisee University College.

“This was abolished in 1993. But in the years that followed, several local authorities and towns nevertheless introduced local forms of ban. Begging is often the last resort for earning an income.”

Schrooten is co-author of a book on the subject titled "Zichtbaar onzichtbaar, bedelen in onze samenleving", or "Visibly Invisible: Begging in Our Society".

As part of her research, she interviewed about 60 people who were begging in Brussels and said that her findings dispelled certain clichés.

“It’s a very diverse group,” Schrooten said.

“Some do not have a residence permit and therefore have no access to state support. Others combine undeclared work with begging because their income isn’t enough. Others have suffered a series of setbacks: job loss, illness, a break-up.”

As for rumours of alleged organised networks said to be dropping off and collecting beggars in expensive cars or people-carriers, Schrooten said that this “would be a daft business model. People sometimes earn €25 a day - on some days €5, on others €50”.

Niek Everts, coordinator of the Antwerp-based charity ‘t Vlot, noted that even homeless shelters in Antwerp come at a price of €4.50 a night.

“Begging is becoming the only honest way to raise that money,” Everts said. “Otherwise, it’s dealing drugs or stealing.”

Critics say that banning begging is just one tool among many for erasing precariousness from the urban landscape, without actually solving the problem itself.

Another such tool is "hostile architecture", meaning public spaces designed to drive away homeless or impoverished people.

“We see this manifesting in various ways: public benches in parks or on squares designed in such a way that you cannot lie down on them,” Schrooten said.

“Homeless people are therefore unable to use them for sleeping. They’re deliberately made uncomfortable, or too small.”

In May, Belgian railway operator SNCB, in consultation with Antwerp, trialled metal cables stretched across one of the wide window sills running along the side of Antwerp Central Station. The stated aim was to prevent homeless people, loitering youths and drug users from sitting or sleeping there.

“Tto what extent are these measures proportionate?” Schrooten added.

“If tourists feel unsafe because someone is calmly asking for money on the street with a cup, that’s not really dangerous. Should we only be concerned with projecting a positive image of the city? The city isn’t just beautiful and wealthy.”