"We are treated like criminals"

“It’s damn cold out here!” A group of homeless Arabic men is gathered together outside the exit of Fedasil, a refugee center in Brussels. There are no women to be found. The men seem to be quite young, but the beards they grew over the months without any proper self-care hide their age.

One of these men is Suleyman (32), who is laying down in a blanket. He arrived in Belgium three weeks ago. For approximately six months, he walked all the way from Afghanistan to Belgium and eventually ended up sleeping on the cold streets of Brussels.

Afghan refugee Suleyman (32) sitting in a blanket outside but still has a positive attitude

Many men come from Afghanistan but have different backgrounds. Some are Muslim, some aren’t. Some were students, others already had proper jobs and were married; they had to leave their families behind in war times. Now they are homeless – and they barely speak any English, French, or Flemish. Only Suleyman wants to have his picture taken. The rest just feels uncomfortable. “I don’t want my family to see me like this,” one man that wants to stay anonymous says.

According to Suleyman, it is hard to be allowed inside Fedasil. The refugee center is constantly full, which results in some people having to sleep outside for days to even weeks. “They only care about the Ukrainians,” Ahmed (18) says. He is the youngest of the group and fled his country when he was a minor. “It’s all just based on racism, they get food and shelter and we get nothing.”

Homeless refugees laying on the ground outside, because they were denied entrance at Fedasil

Even though some refugees might feel forgotten or even disadvantaged compared to Ukrainians, multiple sources show that this isn’t the case. The desk employee at Fedasil -who wants to remain anonymous - states they make no distinction based on the countries refugees are from. “Nobody should have to sleep outside, but sometimes people show up too late and their spot has been taken by someone else. There is nothing we can do about it,” he says. According to Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, the registration and reception of Ukrainian refugees country are "chaotic and difficult." They often have to in queues for hours and can’t always find a place to stay.

Entrance of Fedasil in Brussels

The circumstances where the homeless refugees have to spend the night can be tough. Especially in the winter months, the temperature in Brussels can drop down to zero degrees or lower. Gray and orange trash bags can be found everywhere. Every five to ten minutes, a police car passes by slowly, to keep an eye on things. Unnecessary and a little bit painful, according to some of the refugees. “We are treated as criminals, while all we want is to sleep and survive,” another refugee named Mohamed (26) says.

Exit of Fedasil in Brussels

As the afternoon passes, the city of Brussels gradually gets darker. Many homeless people spend the night under bridges, but this group of men does not want that. They want to stay close to the refugee center, where they can be seen by others. “I don’t want to disappear in the background,” Ahmed says. Suleyman adds to the conversation: he finds it important to still stay somewhat in contact with society. “My dream is to eventually find a job in Brussels or somewhere else in Belgium so that I can start enjoying life again.”

An elderly couple walking out of refugee center Fedasil