The Brussels Court of Appeal has mandated that the Belgian state provide reparations to five women, now in their 70s, who were taken from their families as children in the Belgian Congo. This historical ruling comes as part of the ongoing dialogue surrounding the dark legacy of colonialism and the systemic injustices faced by mixed-race offspring of colonial settlers. The court recognized the actions as crimes against humanity, emphasizing the state’s orchestrated efforts to abduct children of mixed heritage.
Belgium Court Orders Reparations for Colonial Abductions of Mixed-Race Women
Belgium Court Orders Reparations for Colonial Abductions of Mixed-Race Women
A landmark ruling sees the Belgian government ordered to compensate five women for their traumatic separation from families during colonial times.
In 2021, the women—Monique Bitu Bingi, Léa Tavares Mujinga, Noëlle Verbeken, Simone Ngalula, and Marie-José Loshi—initiated their legal battle for compensation after years of suffering the consequences of forced separation. The court's decision overturns a previous ruling regarding the eligibility for reparations based on the statute of limitations, clarifying that such egregious acts merit accountability regardless of time elapsed.
The Belgian government had formally apologized in 2019 for the painful legacy faced by an estimated 20,000 victims of forced family separations across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, recognizing the painful impact of its colonial past. The case has shone a light on the wider systematic abductions, with most children born to white fathers and black mothers stripped of their nationality and placed in Church-run orphanages, where they often suffered further abuse. Calls for reparations and recognition have gained momentum, revealing a pressing need for acknowledgment and healing in the aftermath of colonial injustice.
The Belgian government had formally apologized in 2019 for the painful legacy faced by an estimated 20,000 victims of forced family separations across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, recognizing the painful impact of its colonial past. The case has shone a light on the wider systematic abductions, with most children born to white fathers and black mothers stripped of their nationality and placed in Church-run orphanages, where they often suffered further abuse. Calls for reparations and recognition have gained momentum, revealing a pressing need for acknowledgment and healing in the aftermath of colonial injustice.
