IN HIGH SPIRITS

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

BELGIUM | Monday, 7 January 2013 | Views [163] | View Larger Image

Some people say that the landlord has benefits of owning this place and he doesn't pay taxes. The local media presents that the landlord has some plans of transforming the place in a 5 star hotel, with tens of luxurios rooms and a generous parking lot. Gesu is shared by migrants especially from North Africa, Slovakia and some other Eastern European countries. Some came here with their hole family. Many of the people are undocumented and jobless.

L'Eglise du Gesu used to be a place for jesuits and is placed right in the center of Brussels, near Botanique metro station, a 20 minutes walk from the most important EU institutions. Gesu means home for many migrants. The NGOs representatives say that here are living around 200 people, but nobody exactly who comes in and who goes out. Gesu is a private squat, owned by a landlord who has many 5 hotels around the world.

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The people need to pay a monthly fee to keep staying in a room. Some of them are renting their room to other poor people. Some also say that drugs are selled during the night or in the early mornings. The NGOs representatives say that here are supposed to live around 70 children, but one person who was analysing the place for the last 6 months says that he only saw 40. He doesn't exclude the fact that the children could be trafficked.

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IN HIGH SPIRITS

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

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