Overview of Human Rights in Belgium

Belgium is a parliamentary democracy. The government of Belgium generally respects the civil and human rights of its citizens, with a few notable exceptions.  A recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Committee examined human rights abuses in Belgium. Included in the report's stated  concerns were escalating racist activity by both societal and governmental units against Jews and Muslims, police brutality, failure to respect the basic rights of asylum-seekers and the mentally ill, and insufficient help to the victims of human trafficking. The report also expressed concern about the definition of "terrorism" in the December 2003 Terrorist Offenses Act. It stated the definition was not in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  That said, Belgium has a good record of human rights.  Indeed, the government works diligently to respect the basic freedoms afforded to its citizens such as speech, press, assembly, association, and travel. 

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank: 13th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.