Inciting suicide to be punishable with placement in youth institutions

Minors who incite others to commit suicide may be placed in a closed community institution, under planned changes to the juvenile delinquency law. The measure is part of a broader reform that Flemish Justice minister Zuhal Demir intends to introduce on 1 September, alongside the new Belgian Penal Code.

The revised Penal Code will change how offences are classified. According to Demir, of N-VA, this raised concerns that certain serious offences involving minors could be treated less severely. The planned adjustments aim to ensure that young people who commit serious crimes, such as violence, rape, terrorism or serious offences during riots, can still be placed in a closed community institution if deemed necessary by a juvenile judge.

"Young people who are less resilient in life are the easiest victims"

The reform also seeks to address emerging online phenomena, including sadistic chat groups where young people are encouraged to harm or humiliate themselves. “This is almost always accompanied by blackmail using images they have obtained," Demir said. "Young people who are less resilient in life are the easiest victims. These are particularly disturbing signals."

Under the new rules, inciting suicide will explicitly be classified as a serious offence. “Online bullying, the distribution of nude images, or severe pressure via social media can drive young people to despair,” Demir said. “If that leads to life-threatening situations, we must be able to act decisively. This is about the protection of vulnerable young people.”

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The decree also targets issues such as sextortion, unwanted sexting and online groups encouraging self-harm. “It is important that the juvenile judge can also intervene in such cases and, if necessary, place young people in care," said Flemish Welfare minister Caroline Gennez of Vooruit. "This means we can better protect victims and prevent these types of incidents from continuing to escalate."

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