A Belgian court has ruled in favor of five Congolese women forcibly separated from their families during Belgium’s colonial rule in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), ordering the government to pay compensation. The women, Simone Ngalula, Monique Bitu Bingi, Léa Tavares Mujinga, Noëlle Verbeeken, and Marie-José Loshi, will each receive €50,000 for the suffering caused by their abduction as children.
The court recognized these actions, which took place more than 70 years ago, as crimes against humanity. The women were taken from their black mothers and white fathers and placed in orphanages as part of an official colonial policy. The ruling dismissed claims that the case was too old to prosecute, asserting that such crimes are not bound by statutes of limitations.
This judgment sheds light on Belgium’s controversial colonial past, particularly its harsh governance in Congo under King Leopold II and later as a Belgian colony until 1960. The plight of mixed-race children, often referred to as “métis,” who faced institutionalized discrimination and loss of identity, is a stark reminder of the era’s injustices.
The decision follows growing scrutiny of Belgium’s colonial history, with increasing calls for acknowledgment and reparations for past wrongs committed during its rule in Africa. This landmark case may set a precedent for further legal actions addressing historical injustices.
