Sophia Michaels
The Belgian government has asserted that Nigerians constitute the largest group of individuals engaged in forced prostitution in the European country.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Mr Freddy Roosemont, the Director-General of the Belgian Office for Foreigners, said most Nigerians were deceived into the country with the promise of job placements.
He said most of them are however being forced into prostitution by traffickers once they arrived in the country.
“The dream is not real, it’s not easy to survive in Europe without a decent job. The dream is fake.
“Belgium is not land of milk and honey, nor is Europe. This was not the case before, but is even less so now, in a world with many crisis hotspots with severe economic consequences”, Roosemont said.
He lamented that more Nigerians were currently seeking asylum in Belgium, adding that it makes little sense.
“Asylum is determined on the basis of the Geneva Convention and economic motives are not included. Therefore the recognition rate for asylum is very low and the chances of obtaining a residence permit are almost non-existent,” the Belgian official said.
He said no fewer than 362 Nigerian migrants sought asylum in 2022 while 380 of them applied in 2023, adding that only a few of them got their application granted.
“As a consequence, people are forced to live in irregular stay, without a social safety net, in precarious conditions. They risk economic exploitation and women risk ending up in prostitution”, he said.
He charged Nigerians to ignore those trying to deceive them into embarking on the journey to Europe without admission to a university, a job offer from a Belgian company or an invitation from a family member to relocate.
