Since the start of the year, a series of violent incidents involving young people have shocked Belgium.
On 20 January, a 14-year-old girl in Brussels was chased, beaten up and had her face disfigured with a lighter. The alleged perpetrators were girls and boys aged between 14 and 16.
At the end of January, a 15-year-old boy was set alight with a Molotov cocktail in Anderlecht. He jumped into the canal and was taken away with severe burns. A 16-year-old was arrested in connection with the attack and a 14-year-old turned himself in to police.
Other recent incidents include a 16-year-old being stabbed in Halle by two teenage brothers and a 15-year-old boy from Kampenhout being beaten up a gang of youths, who filmed the incident and put it on social media.
This level of violence raises stark questions: what drives these young people to commit such heinous acts, and are incidents like these becoming more common in Belgium?
On the surface, statistics suggest that the problem of youth violence is indeed getting worse. Figures from the country's juvenile courts show an increase in the number of recorded offences committed by minors against individuals over the past 10 years.
Other figures show that more young people are being admitted to secure institutions for juvenile offences. In 2024, 2,017 young people were incarcerated in a secure institution – an increase of 12% compared to the previous year.
Violent crime by young people appears to be on the rise. The number of incidents in which young people appeared before the juvenile court for assault and battery has risen dramatically in Belgium in recent years, figures from the Public Prosecutor’s Office show.
In 2020, there were 8,514 cases; by 2024, this had risen to 14,366. In Brussels, cases of assault and battery rose from more than 1,100 cases in 2015 to 1,600 in 2024.
'They don’t think about the possible consequences'
For Chantal Van den Bosch, an Antwerp youth lawyer and expert in youth crime and behaviour, the figures come as no surprise. Together with other youth lawyers in Antwerp, she claims to have observed an increase in violence and crime among young people.
“Not only is it on the rise, but the young people involved are getting younger and the offences they commit are becoming more serious," Van den Bosch told The Brussels Times. "Knives are being drawn more often. With all the consequences that entails. They don’t think about the possible consequences.”
Youth criminologist Els Dumortier from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) agrees that a trend of sorts appears to be emerging. “If you listen to what professionals – police officers, youth workers – say about youth crime, there seems to be a trend,” she told us.
Caution over statistics
However, Dumortier urged caution when reading crime statistics, and believes the figures need to be put into perspective.
“The figures are also rising because the police and the courts are focusing on specific issues. It may also be that reports are being made more quickly," she said. "Due to the Me Too movement, girls may be more likely to take action in cases of violence." The statistics also include the rapidly growing sub-category of harassment, for example via social media.
Michèle Meganck, judge at the French-speaking juvenile court in Brussels mentioned another important caveat to consider when examining statistics.
“Juvenile crime is being prosecuted more frequently in Brussels than in the past," she told us. "Public Prosecutor Julien Moinil’s policy emphasises the prosecution of drug-related crime, which also involves young people and minors. The number of referrals has doubled. That is down to his policy.”
According to Meganck, it is also important to bear in mind that the line between offender and victim can sometimes be blurred.
“We opened far more cases at the juvenile court last year," she said. "This concerns both young offenders and young people in unsafe care situations who need protection. The two are linked. Often, offenders are victims themselves.”
'Drug dealers are the biggest employers in Brussels'
Lawyer Van den Bosch claims there has also been a rise in youth crime in Antwerp, largely linked to drug dealing.
“I’ve seen dealers as young as 13 or 14. Young lads trying to make a quick buck in the port. They’re still growing up, but are being fully exploited and recruited by the criminal underworld. They’re cannon fodder," she said.
"If they get caught, there are 10 others ready to take their place. One example I recently came across: a boy who was asked if he wanted to make some quick cash. He had to smash a car window, pour petrol over the car and set it alight together with another boy.”
Juvenile court judge Meganck sees the same thing happening here in Brussels. “Drug dealers are the biggest employers in Brussels," she said. "If a young person is looking for a student job and can’t find anything because they don’t have a good CV or for whatever reason, they offer their services and are recruited within five minutes to distribute parcels and earn good money.
"We see that many young people are being recruited. It becomes their main job. It’s not just poor pupils or dropouts; good pupils who want to earn money are involved too. It pays better than working at Colruyt.”
Her Dutch-speaking colleague Tine Suykerbuyk told us she is consequently seeing more serious violent crimes appearing in her court. “Shootings – we didn’t have that five years ago. Young people are getting involved in that too,” she said.
A shift in mentality?
There are various reasons why adolescents might commit violent acts, according to Van den Bosch. Among other things, she points to the fact that young people’s brains are still developing and they tend to react more impulsively.
“I think they don’t always realise the impact of their actions. I often hear ‘I didn’t think it through’. Young people sometimes imagine themselves in a video game world where they just have to press a reset button.”
She also sees a shift in mentality. “In the past, arguments were resolved through talking things through. Young people spend more time on their mobile phones and on social media than they do talking to each other. The distance between them has grown. As a result, tempers can flare more quickly.”
Juvenile court judge Meganck sees a lot of aggression on the streets of Brussels. “When I take the metro, I’m always struck by how young people hit and swear at each other. They don’t mean to hurt one another, but there is definitely une ambiance électrique. I’m not surprised. If you turn on the news, all you see is bad news.”
She also describes the school situation for many young people as worrying. “As a judge, I deal with young people at risk, among others. A large proportion of them are bullied at school. The scale of bullying in schools is truly terrifying. We haven’t yet fully grasped just how big that problem is.”
Dropping out of school is also a growing problem and might leave young people at something of a loose end. According to Statbel, there has been an increase in the number of pupils leaving school early over the past two years. The percentage of those who did not obtain a secondary school diploma is higher among boys (9.6%) than among girls (4.9%).
In Flanders, 12% of young people left secondary education without a qualification in the 2023–2024 school year. There is also a trend towards younger students in this group. Over a four-year period, three times as many primary school pupils found their way to KANS, the Brussels CLB initiative dealing with school dropouts. They come mainly because of behavioural problems.
The role of social media
Social media also plays a harmful role, according to Meganck. It leads to more bullying and makes it easier to incite young people to violence.
Criminologist Dumortier believes that toxic masculinity is glorified via social media. “A certain image of the man – physically strong and violent – is glorified. Influencers such as Andrew Tate are common criminals, but they reinforce that image,” she told us.
Tine Suykerbuyk, a Dutch-speaking youth court judge in Brussels, also sees that social media plays a role in influencing young people's actions. “I think that as adults, we have no idea how many violent videos children and young people are exposed to. They are on channels we know nothing about.”
But she emphasised that there is no single explanation for violent behaviour among young people. “The home situation, social media, peer pressure, the social climate, ... : it can all play a part. For one person, one cause may carry more weight than another.”
Tackling the problem at the source
So how can society tackle this problem? Should stricter action be taken? “As a society, we certainly need to send a clear message to young people that certain behaviour is unacceptable,” said Suykerbuyk.
Like the juvenile court judge, Dumortier believes that repression alone is not a good idea. “Impunity is not good, but relying solely on repression and criminal or youth justice won’t solve it either. You actually need to tackle the underlying causes. And that is, of course, a lot more difficult. How do we ensure that all young people go to school? And that they stay there?”
Some policymakers are looking at ways to mitigate the impact of social media. Australia has introduced a ban for under-16s, and other countries are considering similar measures. Flanders introduced a ban on harmful social media in early April. It intends to publish a list of platforms that are required to introduce age verification.
But experts argue that is only part of the answer. We need to work on better support for young people, believes Suykerbuyk. She sees an important role for educational guidance from parents and schools.
“In practice, we see that this is a key factor in youth reoffending. If they receive the right support at home, we see far fewer repeat offences, regardless of young people’s socio-economic background. If that support is insufficient due to circumstances, we must support the parents.”
Follow-up by schools is also very important. “It is absolutely crucial that you immediately follow up on a child who stops attending school and offer the necessary support. Otherwise, such a person loses touch with school and their peers, isolates themselves or ends up loitering around doing nothing. Young people then end up in a parallel world.”
