Increase in disability discrimination cases highlights slow progress on inclusion
More than a quarter of the discrimination cases handled by the equal opportunities centre Unia in 2024 concerned disability. The organisation released the figures on Wednesday to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, warning that “Belgium is still making too little progress in the inclusion of these groups”.
In 2024, Unia received 1,267 reports of disability discrimination, resulting in 582 cases opened, the highest number in five years. Most cases - 35 per cent - relate to discrimination in the workplace, followed by finances and insurance, housing and health.
Unia points to an urgent need for strong policy measures, particularly as the federal disability action plan for 2021–2024 has now expired. “Strong measures are needed to combat the difficulties and discrimination that people with disabilities, and by extension their loved ones, still face daily,” the organisation says. A new action plan is expected in early 2026.
"Strong measures are needed to combat the difficulties and discrimination that people with disabilities, and by extension their loved ones, still face daily"
Among its key recommendations, Unia calls for measures that would help informal caregivers make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities. It highlights Brussels as a positive example, saying: “The Brussels-Capital Region has been a pioneer by including the concept of ‘reasonable adjustments by association’ in the legislation of April 2024."
Unia encourages other government bodies to explicitly include this principle in their own anti-discrimination legislation and urges policymakers to consider the impact on people with disabilities in every political decision.
Finally, the centre says many employers remain unaware of their obligations, including the measures they must take to enable people with disabilities to access employment. To address this, Unia has developed two training modules designed to better inform and assist employers.
© PHOTO JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD / AFP
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