One in three asylum seekers in Belgium is underage

More than half of the refugees seeking asylum in Belgium are families, and one in three is a minor, according to figures from Fedasil, the federal agency for the reception of asylum seekers. There are currently 19,117 asylum seekers in Belgium, 5% of whom are unaccompanied minors. That equates to about 1,000 children and young people in need of extra support, writes De Morgen.

"The figures have implications for how we help asylum seekers," Els Keytsman, director of Flemish Refugee Action. "Families have different needs than single people. They are better off with individual care instead of collective centres," she told De Morgen. "The government, however, focuses primarily on providing collective help. These new figures show that the government had better change its policies in order to help the minors."