Did this happen with the OCMW/CPAS?

1. First, go to the service itself and write a letter internally to the organisation. 

2. If the problem cannot be resolved in this way, you can go to the ombudsperson, which you can find according to the city where you live or according to the jurisdiction.

• If you are in the process of writing your complaint to the ombudsperson, the federal ombudsman service can help you formulate this. You can make an appointment with a member of their team at their office in Brussels or in a city near you. 

CONTACT: 

→ phone: 0800 999 61 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between 9am and 12.30pm and on Thursday between 1.30pm and 5pm

→ mail: contact@federalombudsman.be 

→ online: on this platform look for the ombudsman most relevant to your case. 

Unfortunately, some people, institutions, or systems may try to abuse our rights to maintain their power, control, or dominance. That’s why we need to have laws and legislation. These laws provide specific rules on how to protect our rights when others don’t want to respect them.

For example, it’s our human right to go to school. Now, let’s say someone tries to stop Lumi from going to school just because of who Lumi is or where they come from. That would not be fair and will be a violation of Lumi’s human rights. That’s when we need a law to help prevent this from happening, putting our human rights into action.

1. First you file a complaint internally, by going to the head of the centre. They then have seven days to reply. 

2. If the response is not satisfactory, you can make a complaint with the Fedasil headquarters or the Red Cross. Find more info on the website of Fedasil.

If the organisation doesn’t respond to your complaint, you can again contact an ombudsperson.

• Belgian Fairwork offers you information for example 

  • whether you can work without a residence permit, 

  • what happens if you don’t get paid, 

  • if you’re sick or if you get fired without warning, 

How you can become a member of a trade union and which trade unions there are in Belgium

TIP: You can go to the trade unions and ask questions even without being a member of them. 

CONTACT: Helpdesk Phone → 0900 12019. 

NOTE: This is not a queer organisation.

• Actiris provides you with information if you live in Brussels and experience discrimination while looking for a job. You can make a claim through the website.

CONTACT:

→ phone: 0800 35 089 from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4.30 pm

• Did this happen in Flanders? You can file a complaint through Meldpunt Werkgerelateerde Discriminatie.. 

NOTE: it’s only in Dutch. 

• Did this happen in Brussels? You can file a complaint through this website. 

If you are registerd with Forem and you experienced violation of your rights in relation to them, you can file a complaint via this online form. You can contact their Equality & Diversity Department by e-mail, annette.legaye@forem.be, or on 071/20.68.97. 

IGVM (Instituut voor de Gelijkheid van Vrouwen en Mannen – Institute for Gender Equality)has a legal unit that handles all types of requests for information or complaints concerning discrimination based on a protected criterium such as sex or gender, as well as complaints made by transgender persons or complaints about sexism. They offer legal advice and help in the context of conciliation or judicial procedures. 

You can make a complaint through their form.

CONTACT: phone 0800 12 800 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9h – 12h and Wednesday between 13h and 16h

• SOS Viol offers psychological support to the victims and their families. They can give you information about your rights, practical procedures and redirect you to social services, lawyers, discussion groups, doctors. 

CONTACT:

→ phone: 0800/98.100

→ anonymous chat service on Mondays and Fridays from 5pm to 9pm or Wednesdays from 2pm to 6pm.

→ mail: info@sosviol.be 

NOTE: It’s in French.

• Domestic violence helpline offers you information and basic psychological support if you experience domestic violence. 

CONTACT:

→ phone: 0800 30 0 30 (accessible 24/7 )

NOTE: It’s in French.

• Victim Support Centre in Flanders (CAW) offers you emotional, practical and legal support about your rights and if you want to make a complaint at the police. They can also help you find a psychologist if you request it.

CONTACT: For the local addresses and phone numbers check the website!

NOTE: It’s in Dutch.

• Victim Support Centre in Wallony (ASBL) offers you emotional, practical and legal support with your procedure.

CONTACT:

→ phone: 085/21.67.89

→  Address: Rue Rioul 22 à 4500 Huy. 

TIP: In any case, remember the names of any witnesses. Write down your story yourself as soon as possible with all the details, or have someone do it for you. This information will be needed if you file a complaint later.

If you were injured or raped, see a doctor immediately. Explain what happened, get examined and have the doctor write a certificate. This can later prove your story.

• 1712 helps you If you have a not urgent question about violence and abuse. 

CONTACT:

→ phone: 1712 on Monday and Friday from 13h – 17h and 18h and 22h

→ online fill in their form.

NOTE: It’s in Dutch

• 
  Vlaams Meldpunt van Grensoverschrijdend Gedrag (Flemish Reporting Centre for Transgressive Behaviour) provides guidance and advice to you if you want to make the report and you live in Flanders. It informs you about the steps you can take, such as reporting harassment to the organisation in question and possibly the legal possibilities. Victims can also go there for short-term therapeutic pathways. 

CONTACT:

→ Phone: 0800 13184 (Monday – Friday: from 9am to 5pm and Monday evenings from 5pm to 8pm)

→ chat every working day from 9 am to 5 pm

→ mail to meldpunt@vlaanderen.be. 

NOTE: It’s in Dutch and only if you experience harassment or abuse at a Flemish Institution (like, sportclub, socio-cultural association, university, cultural organisations, etc).

• Centre de Prise en charge des Violences Sexuelles provides 24/7 care to all victims of sexual violence in Brussels. It offers victims medical and forensic care, psychological support and helping making a legal complaint. 

CONTACT:

→ Phone: 02/535.45.42

→ Address: 320 Rue Haute – 1000 Bruxelles,. 

→ mail: CPVS@stpierre-bru.be. 

NOTE: It’s in French.

• ZSG (Zorgcentrum na Seksueel Geweld – Care Centre after Sexual Violence) offers you medical and psychological care, and you can talk to the police there if you want to. It is best to go to a ZSG within a week and you can go directly, or call 1712 or email first. All centres are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If the incident happened more than a month ago, you can still make an appointment at a care centre. They will then refer you to the appropriate support organisations. You can receive the following care: 

  • Medical care: both care of injuries and examinations by gynaecologists.

  • Psychological care: a listening ear.

  • Counselling and follow-up with a specialised psychologist. 

  • A forensic investigation: examining traces, collecting evidence by the police.

  • Filing a complaint with the police if you wish, with the help of specially trained inspectors at the scene. 

CONTACT: You can find such a care centre in numerous hospitals in Belgium (In Antwerp at UZA, in Brussels at UMC Sint-Pieter, in Charleroi at UMC Marie Curie, in Ghent at UZ Gent, in Leuven at UZ Leuven, in Limburg at ZOL, in Liège at UMC Luik and in Roeselare at AZ Delta). Click on the map on this page to find the centre closest to you. 

It can be because they don’t accept your identity documents:

• your national identity card or passport, 

• your electronic residence card

• another annex of the Residence Decree

• a document relating to your address details

1. You should first check whether you can prove your identity or address using another document. You may find an argument or document to convince the bank in the regulations on identification. 

2. In case of problems, it is best to contact the bank’s customer service department. This way, the situation can be clarified and possibly rectified. If this does not lead to a satisfactory result, you can file a complaint. Every bank has a complaints service.

3. If you are considering a complaint to the OmbudsFin, bear in mind that its opinion is not binding. In the case of a basic banking service, it is. Therefore, it is sometimes better to request a basic banking service immediately in case of refusal

CONTACT:

→ phone:+32 (0)2 545 77 70 (from Monday to Thursday available by phone in the morning only)

→ mail: ombudsman@ombudsfin.be

You can make a complaint through the form on the website of Comite P: https://comitep.be/lodge-a-complaint.html 

https://obspol.be/

If you live in Brussels you can check this website of the Region of Brussels and if you experience discrimination while looking for a house you can report it HERE

NOTE: It is only in Dutch and French..

If you are treated differently because of your identity in the house market in Belgium both in the periods of searching and staying, you can report it to Unia. Unia can provide you with advice and support.

Myria is the Federal Migration Center that gives you information about your legal rights, gives you advice and help to determine what steps you wish to undertake. They can contact competent authorities, your attorney or other partners. 

They can help you on topics like:

• – family reunification procedures

• – free movement of EU citizens and their family members

• – registration with the municipality

• – detention in closed centers

• – return and removal

CONTACT: 

→ phone: 0800 14 912 on Monday between 9:30 am to 12:30 pm or on Thursday between 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

→ mail: myria@myria.be

→ online: fill in the form

NOTE: their communication is in English, French, Dutch or German. 

• Vluchtelingenwerk Infoline is not an LGBTQI+ organization, but can guide you to find proper contacts and answer practical and legal questions related to international protection, housing and reception, education, working, social and medical rights, access to financial, social and  psychosocial support. Available in English, French, Dutch, Ukrainian.

CONTACT:

→ phone: 02 225 44  11 every working day between 9.30-12.30

→ chat on Telegram/Whatsapp via the number 0489 133 355

Institute for Equality between Women and Men provides free and confidential information, advice and legal aid. If you want to make a complaint, they will first check whether they are authorised to help you. Secondly, they will advise you on the next steps you can take, or they can act as a mediator between the different parties involved in order to reach an agreement. Finally, the IEWM can go to court with the complainant and pay some or all of the court costs.

CONTACT: 

→ phone: 0800 12 800 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9 am and 12 pm and Wednesday between 1 pm and 4 pm) 

→ online or via the website.  The majority of the website is in Dutch and French and the complaint file is only in Dutch or French 

They can help you on topics like: 

• You are fired after telling your employer that you are pregnant.

• You see a job posting in sales stating that only women are eligible.

• You are not hired for a position because you are a trans.

In these cases, you can report it on the website of Unia or call the Unia hotline on 0800 12 800 every weekday from 9.30 to 13.00.  Unia is mainly a mediator, which means that when you report a claim on their website, they will always try to resolve the case by initiating dialogue with the different people involved. If this is not enough, they can help you by taking your case to court. You can also just call the hotline for information, advice or recommendations on the different steps you can take if you have been harassed. 

TIP: You can find different descriptions of discrimination cases on the website under the ‘Grounds of discrimination’ tab.

You can lodge a complaint via the website of the VMRI (Vlaams Mensenrechteninstituut) if your rights have been violated by a social worker in a Flemish institution. If you want to know whether your social worker is employed by a Flemish institution or not, you can use this webpage. If the VMRI decides that it is authorised to deal with your complaint, it may be able to offer you front-line assistance in dealing with your situation. The next step is to mediate between the parties involved. If this does not lead to a solution, the VMRI can submit your file to the ‘Disputes Chamber’, where experts can issue a non-binding judgement with recommendations to the Flemish organisation where the violation took place. 

CONTACT:

→ mail: contact@vmri.be 

→ online: the form on their website.  

NOTE: the communication is in Dutch + it is non-binding 

• Lumi is a LGBTI+ supporting organization that can help you to find a good contact of a counselor, lawyer or discrimination hotline.

CONTACT:

→ phone: 0800-99-533 

→ chat with them on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 18.30-21.30

→ mail: vragen@lumi.be

• Transgender Infopunt is a helpline that you can call for free if you have any question about the topic transgender

CONTACT:

→ phone:0800 96 316

→ Mail: contact@transgenderinfo.be

→ make an online appointment

NOTE: The infoline is in Dutch.

Code 207-now show happens in two cases: 

 1- The person seeking asylum was given a shelter by Fedasil, but they chose to stay in their private accommodation: In this case, the person who was already entitled to have an accommodation by FEDASIL could ask for being transferred to an Fedasil accommodation anytime during their procedure, presenting themselves in Petit Chateau. And their code 207 will be updated.

 1.a- Person seeking asylum’s assigned gender is male and their vulnerability hasn’t been taken into consideration: Their lawyer has to appeal this decision. In order for an appeal to be eligible, the main motivation of the request of international protection should be persecution due to sexual orientation or gender identity in the country of origin.  

2-Subsequent application: If it is not the first application of international protection in Belgium. First, approval of the new elements and then the lawyer can request a center exceptionally.