Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Brussels public prosecutor launched an investigation to determine if abuses occurred at a daycare centre in Brussels. Assistant Public Prosecutor Martin François confirmed the investigation following RTL Info’s reports about parent and childcare worker complaints against the daycare centre director.
An investigation has been launched by the Brussels public prosecutor’s Office into alleged abuse at a local daycare. Multiple parents and childcare workers made complaints to the probe after accusing the centre’s director of abusing children. RTL Info reported that some audio recordings provided to parents were said to involve the headmistress striking a child.
Other allegations involve keeping a child locked in a dark place for very long and verbal and physical abuse such as yelling, hitting, threatening, and force-feeding. The prosecutor’s Office has combined three complaints to simplify the investigation, declining to comment further while remaining silent about the case to respect the presumption of innocence and to maintain the integrity of the inquiry.
The Brussels public prosecutor’s office confirms that it has received a total of 3 complaints that have been centralised for the sake of efficiency, and that it has opened an investigation,
says public prosecutor’s office spokesman Martin François.
In order to preserve the serenity of this investigation and taking into account the principle of the presumption of innocence, no further comment will be made.
Several disturbing incidents have been reported at the daycare centre. In one instance, the child, who was jumping between beds, was allegedly grabbed forcefully by the arm, causing their head to hit multiple beds when they were dragged back down. It also accused parents and staff of accusing the director of using an aggressive tone and engaging in punitive measures, such as prolonged isolation in dark spaces.
The facility has been in operation since 2018, though complaints in 2023 led to intervention by the Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance or ONE (Kind en Gezin), Flanders’ equivalent. After that time, corrective actions were taken to improve the care standards. The scrutiny reignited despite three subsequent inspections in 2024 and no further complaints.
What is the history of child abuse complaints in Belgian daycare centres?
Childcare safety has been an ongoing problem in Belgium, as there have been 147 formal complaints filed against daycare centres in 2022 alone from the Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE). Of these, 23% involved allegations of physical or psychological abuse. Twelve complaints were made about aggressive behaviour at Brussels facilities, including the daycare being probed, ONE said in 2023.
This centre, operational since 2018, had previously been flagged for “inappropriate conduct” in a 2023 inspection, prompting mandatory staff retraining. Having been improved and inspected three times in 2024 without incident, the latest claims suggest possible lapses in enforcement.
Belgium’s childcare sector serves over 300,000 children nationally, and child care was put under even stricter oversight after a 2019 scandal involving neglect at a Flanders facility.
