Iraqi Family Granted Humanitarian Residence in Belgium
A Belgian court in Brussels has ruled that the OCMW, Belgium’s public social welfare center, must provide support to the family of Mowada, an Iraqi Kurdish child who was killed by Belgian police. Nine months after the death of Mowada Shori, her parents have received humanitarian residence permits in Belgium.
Belgian Immigration and Asylum Minister Maggie De Block of Open VLD decided that the Iraqi Kurdish family should be allowed to remain in Belgium. The residence permits issued to Mowada’s father Ali, 25, her mother, 24, and their four-year-old son Mohammed are valid for one year and can be renewed.
The parents said they are now extremely relieved because they finally have legal documents that allow them to rebuild their lives in Belgium. Their residence status also means they can continue following the investigation into Mowada’s death and attend the court proceedings related to the case.
The family will also be able to look for work in Belgium. De Block said the decision would give the parents an opportunity to rebuild their lives after the death of their daughter.
How Mowada Was Killed?
Mowada was an Iraqi Kurdish child who was killed during a Belgian police chase involving a van carrying around 30 Iraqi migrants. She was hit by a police bullet in the cheek and died from her injuries.
The case led to further legal and social proceedings involving the family. In October of the previous year, the OCMW branch in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe in Brussels refused to provide the Kurdish family with a living allowance.
According to the OCMW, the family had been offered financial assistance through one of the reception centers operated by Fedasil, Belgium’s federal agency responsible for the reception of asylum seekers, but the family refused that option.
Court Rules Family Can Stay in Belgium
Mowada’s parents challenged the OCMW decision in court, and on February 1, the court ruled that the family was in a vulnerable situation that made returning to their country of origin or another country impossible.
The court therefore found that the family had the right to remain in Belgium and receive financial support from the OCMW, the public social welfare center.
The OCMW agreed not to appeal the ruling and accepted the court’s decision, allowing the family to receive the support and continue living in Belgium while following the legal proceedings surrounding Mowada’s death.
