Tent City in Belgium
2009-11-20 9:49
It's not what you'd expect to see in the heart of the European capital.
Nestled between modern tower blocks, a temporary refugee camp has been set up in central Brussels.
The 12 tents house some 50 asylum seekers who've been sleeping rough because of a shortage of beds.
They were set up by five non-governmental organizations who provide food as well as social and medical help.
Like all EU countries, Belgium has a responsibility to provide shelter for refugees.
But the financial crisis has left budgets tight resulting in a lack of emergency housing.
Medecins sans Frontieres hopes the camp will force governments to take action.
[Stephan Goetghebuer, Director of Operations, Medecins sans Frontieres]:
"It's a first for us and we hope it will never be repeated of course. It's a situation that resembles the emergency situation we are usually facing.''
Sami has been sleeping rough since arriving in Belgium from the Kurdish area of Syria nearly three weeks ago.
He prefers not to talk about the political situation back home.
[Sami, Refugee]:
''I find it hard. I have no food, no water, I have nothing. I don't have money either.''
Most of the refugees in Belgium come from Afghanistan, Iran, Chechnya or Guinea.
Around a thousand asylum-seekers are currently sleeping rough in Brussels
— many more than can be housed in this temporary shelter.
