The Integration and Discrimination Experience of the Foreign-Origin Population in Flanders: A Study

2023-11-26 07:00:00

This study, which Integration Minister Gwendolyn Rutten does not wish to comment on, reveals that a quarter of the Flemish population is of foreign origin.

The third generation, which represents around 150,000 people, shows little difference in certain areas compared to the ethnic Flemish. Their Dutch proficiency and educational level are excellent, with a higher number of highly qualified people and fewer low qualified people than in the original Belgian population. Likewise, 51% declared themselves non-believers.

To read: France has an “integration problem”, according to Emmanuel Macron

On the job market, their performance is also superior, with an employment rate close to that of the Flemish. However, individuals from non-EU countries, notably Morocco, Turkey and Congo, experience more discrimination and feel less integrated.

This is the case of Imane Khammas, 28 years old, accountant in Laakdal, of Moroccan origin. Her grandparents emigrated from Casablanca to Belgium in the 1960s. Despite a Belgian education and a successful career, she still faces discrimination, both in the professional environment and when looking for accommodation.

“I was raised in Boom. We still have family in Morocco, so I keep a strong link with this country. But I was born and raised here, I work here and my friends are mostly without a migration background,” she confides to HLN. “With a Moroccan name and a different skin color, I often quickly feel typecast. It started in high school. The BSO (professional) courses were mainly attended by students of foreign origin, and I was advised to follow this path, telling me that I might never become a lawyer or accountant. Fortunately, my parents were able to resist. »

Prejudice remains a major obstacle. “People sometimes point out to me that I speak Dutch well. What might seem like a compliment is, to me, tinged with condescension.

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