2023-07-28 04:35:00
For four years, the number of exiles fleeing this West African country to Belgium has almost doubled. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA) registered 352 applications for international protection from Nigerian nationals in 2022, compared to 181 in 2019. Quite low figures compared to other nationalities; Nigeria is not one of the ten most represented countries among applicants for international protection in Belgium.
Belgium condemned for not having respected a judgment obliging it to offer a reception place to an asylum seeker
It is rather the recognition rate that pushes the Secretary of State to act. Indeed, it appears from the CGRA statistics that 96% of asylum seekers have not received a protection document following the examination of their file. They must therefore return to their country of origin. But this is often not the case and some of these rejected candidates remain illegal immigrants, making them particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.
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For many years, many young girls from Nigeria have found themselves in prostitution networks in Brussels. They are very often victims of smugglers who promise them a better life in Europe, before exploiting them.
Convince to stay
”We want, through a prevention campaign, to prevent people from making the dangerous crossing. Every person we can convince is one less victim. We are also working to improve cooperation with Nigeria on returns. A life of illegal residence only leads to misery and exploitation. It is in everyone’s interest that these people can build a new future in their country of origin”, explained the Secretary of State.
The campaign, carried out in the country of origin, includes a series of radio spots, messages in newspapers, on billboards and on social networks. Actions will be carried out in Nigerian schools.
The Foreigners’ Office joins forces with a local organization to fight human trafficking. The authorities intend to highlight local economic opportunities. A way, they hope, to convince candidates for exile to stay in this country already the most populous in Africa and whose population is growing exponentially.
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