Rental discrimination against Moroccans in Belgium increased during the pandemic

A survey conducted by two researchers has revealed that discrimination against applicants with Moroccan-sounding names for a rental apartment increased by 100% in Belgium.

According to The Brussels Times, sociology professor Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe and PhD researcher Abel Ghekiere from the Free University of Brussels called For Rent advertisement using a Belgian name, Congolese name and a name that sounded Moroccan.

Their findings suggest that applicants with Congolese names and Moroccan-sounding names «would be put off by being told the property had already been let». Meanwhile and using the same information apart from the name, applicants with Belgian names «would be given full details of the rental».

During the first phase of their survey, which included 482 tests carried out between October 2019 and March 2020, they found evidence of discrimination in 20% of cases for Belgo-Moroccans.

Rental discrimination increases during the pandemic

The other phase of their research, which included 440 tests and was carried during the pandemic between 16 May and 30 June, showed that the discrimination was higher than before.

While discrimination against Belgo-Congolese names remained the same, Belgo-Moroccan applicants «experienced twice as many instances of discrimination as before». Indeed, Researchers found evidence of discrimination in 36% of cases compared to 20%.

«We suspect this is due to the fact that this community has often been stigmatized in the media due to a high percentage of coronavirus infections and non-compliance with measures», the researchers said.

According to a survey entitled «Young Moroccans in Europe: Discrimination and Equality», published in June by The Council of the Moroccan community living abroad (CCME) in partnership with the International Institute of Opinion Studies (IPSOS), 50% of young Belgo-Moroccans or Moroccans living in Belgium say they face discrimination when looking for a house.

This rate varies, moreover, between 69% among young people in Germany and 35% among Moroccans in the Netherlands, according to the survey.