Belgian government bans housing for single men seeking asylum, arguing that due to the shortage of reception spaces, priority will be given to families, women and children. Humanitarian organizations condemned the decision as a violation of international commitments.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Belgium has long been criticized for not providing housing for thousands of people seeking protection, while long lines of tents on the streets outside the main processing center in Brussels are a blow to its image.

On Wednesday, Undersecretary for Asylum Nicole de Moor said pressures on asylum accommodation were expected to increase in the coming months and that he “wants to avoid the possibility of children ending up on the streets this winter.” Instead, single men should fend for themselves.

“We thought we had seen it all, but no. The Belgian government is not only violating human rights, but it buries them by ‘suspending’ the reception of unmarried male asylum seekers,” said Philippe Hensmans, director of Amnesty International Belgium.

Nicole de Moor had argued that the influx of asylum seekers over the past two years in the country of 11.5 million had overwhelmed the 33,500 capacity reception centres. Last year, Belgium had almost 37,000 asylum applications, the federal agency Fedasil said.

In addition to asylum seekers, Belgium is also providing assistance to around 62,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled Russia’s war in their country. Last year alone, courts convicted the federal agency more than 5,000 times for failing to provide adequate shelter.