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Victims of human trafficking

Due to their vulnerable situation certain asylum seekers can become victims of human trafficking, prostitution or economic exploitation.
The CGRS pays special attention to the examination of asylum applications from these people. Within the CGRS a Human Trafficking section was created to coordinate investigations related to human trafficking and support for victims and centralise, process and analyse all information related to this problem.
In order for asylum applications to be processed as accurately as possible, the ‘Human Trafficking’ section has a coordinator who is assisted by a person responsible in each geographic section. The information obtained from the different geographic sections is centralised by the coordinator. If necessary, the coordinator informs the legal institutions via the Commissioner General.
Via the individual asylum applications the CGRS tries to trace possible victims of human trafficking. Asylum applications from potential victims are examined meticulously and the potential victims are heard by specialised caseworkers. These caseworkers know how to interview potential victims and which specific questions to ask. They also know about the support available to victims.
It goes without saying that any investigations concerning asylum seekers’ problems related to human trafficking will be dealt with completely independently from the examination of their application for asylum.

If an asylum seeker is of the opinion that one of the following cases applies to him/her:

  • Their situation in Belgium does not correspond to what they were promised.
  • They are in Belgium because of people who lied.
  • They are mistreated, exploited, threatened, forced to do things they do not want to do.
  • Their documents were taken from them and they cannot get them back.
  • They are not receiving the payment promised.
  • They are often locked up and isolated from the outside world.

In these cases, certain associations can help them, provide support, listen to them and provide them with a safe place to stay.
These associations are:
In Brussels: Pag-asa
02/511 64 64
www.pag-asa.be
In Antwerp: Payoke
03/201 16 90 
www.payoke.be
In Liège: Sürya
04/232 40 30
www.asblsurya.be

As victims of human trafficking asylum seekers can, under certain circumstances, obtain a residence permit and protection from the Belgian authorities.