Belgium: 14-year-old girl raped by 10 minors in a forest

A 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by ten minors in a forest in the Belgian province of West Flanders. All ten defendants are between 11 and 16 years old, in a case that, according to the Brussels timesshook the country.

In the town of Kortrijk, the girl was allegedly lured by her boyfriend into a bush hidden in front of houses in the neighborhood, where she was abused by several of his friends. The girl was reportedly abused up to three times by ten minors between April 2 and 6 during the Easter holidays. The youngest perpetrator is eleven years old. Of the ten, six were housed in a closed institution, the other four were under house arrest.

“The youngest suspect is 11 years old. Because the suspects are so young, we are not releasing much information. However, they were all identified and arrested, and the juvenile court took action. Our focus now is primarily on the victim. She will be advised,” said Tom Janssens from the West Flemish public prosecutor’s office VRT News.

A similar case reported three years ago in Ghent, East Flanders, caused a major backlash. The case sparked a debate in the Flemish parliament about increasing minimum sentences for sexual offenses. Justice Minister Zuhal Demir proposed extending prison sentences: up to two years for offenders under 14, up to five years for offenders aged 14 to 16, and up to seven years for offenders over 16.

The Belgian government amended the juvenile criminal law in June 2021, allowing longer detention for young people aged 12 and over convicted of rape and gang rape. Since 2022, juvenile offenders aged 16 and over who commit rape or gang violence can be tried as adults.