Belgium Launches Facebook Campaign To Dissuade Refugees From Seeking Asylum - Minister

Belgium Launches Facebook Campaign to Dissuade Refugees From Seeking Asylum - Minister

Belgium launches a huge state campaign on Facebook in order to dissuade future refugees from seeking asylum in the country, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs, Public Health, Asylum and Migration Maggie De Block told journalists

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2019) Belgium launches a huge state campaign on Facebook in order to dissuade future refugees from seeking asylum in the country, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs, Public Health, Asylum and Migration Maggie De Block told journalists.

"This campaign will be focused on certain groups, such as Palestinians and Moroccans. This is the largest campaign ever conducted in Belgium," the minister said.

She added that many refugees believed that obtaining asylum in Belgium was a sure thing, which did not correspond to reality. As a result, numerous asylum applications put pressure on the country's services, hospitality and asylum system.

According to the Office of the Belgian Commissioner General for refugees and stateless persons, 2,765 people filed applications for international protection in Belgium in January 2019. This number is 120 percent more than in December 2018, when only 1,253 people asked for asylum. The most of the asylum seekers came from Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, the Office's data showed.

Up to 23,443 refugees applied for protection status in 2018 in Belgium, the Asylum Information Database (AIDA) coordinated by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles said in its 2018 report.

Europe has been experiencing a migration crisis since 2015 due to the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing crises in their home countries in the middle East and North Africa. These migrants are trying to reach EU states using various routes, including via Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans.