Three Months Later.. No Solution for Belgian Girl (11) Needing Urgent Youth Care

Three Months Later No Solution for Belgian Girl Needing Youth Care

Institutional failure left a vulnerable 11-year-old girl without youth care, forced into a hospital where she fled—raising urgent questions about Belgium’s child protection system.

Marie Dupont14 August 2025Last Update : 2 days ago

Drie maanden na noodkreet nog steeds geen oplossing voor meisje (11) dat plaats in jeugdzorg nodig heeft

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The ongoing crisis in Belgian youth care has come under harsh scrutiny after an 11-year-old girl was left without proper institutional support. This vulnerable child, who was raped in early May after failing to find a place in the jeugdzorg system, highlights severe gaps in Belgium’s child protection framework. On 2025-08-14 13:20:00, prosecutor Julien Moinil described the situation as “institutionele mishandeling,” or institutional abuse, pointing to systemic failure.

6 Key Takeaways

Institutional failure leaves girl without care
Judge places girl in hospital out of necessity
Girl escapes hospital, faces dangerous environment
Parents struggle with lack of placement options
Hospital rejects aggressive girl nearing 12 years
Lawyer warns of high risk for tragedy

With no available spots in youth care facilities, a judge reluctantly placed the girl in a hospital. But this temporary solution proved inadequate as she fled the hospital and was later found in a Brussels metro station, surrounded by criminals. The lack of a stable, safe environment raises urgent questions about Belgium’s capacity to protect its most at-risk children.

What does this case reveal about the state of youth care? And why is there still no long-term solution for children like her? The following fast answer sheds light on the immediate Belgian impact.

Fast Answer: Belgium’s youth care system is failing vulnerable minors, leaving them exposed to danger due to a lack of placements and delayed access to compulsory care, as seen in the case of an 11-year-old girl repeatedly left without support.

Why is this crisis persisting despite public outcry? This tragic case exposes critical weaknesses in the system:

Insufficient capacity in jeugdzorg facilities forces temporary hospitalisation ill-suited for vulnerable children.
Legal age thresholds delay access to compulsory care, leaving younger minors unprotected.
Families and care providers are overwhelmed, lacking resources to manage aggressive or at-risk youth.
The risk of children fleeing unsafe settings increases exposure to criminal environments.

Belgium faces a pressing challenge: without urgent reform and increased youth care capacity, more children risk falling through the cracks, jeopardising their safety and wellbeing.

As Belgium grapples with these systemic failures, policymakers and care providers must urgently collaborate to expand youth care resources and adapt legal frameworks. Can Belgium ensure no child is left unprotected again? The time to act is now.