Brussels sells itself as the heart of Europe, but many people who live here move through the city with a quiet, constant alertness. Recent national surveys indicate that the Brussels region has the highest reported feeling of insecurity in Belgium, with around one in five residents stating they “often” or “always” feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods. For women, the picture is even worse. Research indicates that the vast majority sometimes feel unsafe on the streets, and many avoid certain areas altogether after dark.

If neighborhoods carry reputations, Brussels’ big stations are where fear often becomes concrete. Brussels-Midi is routinely described as a hotspot for pickpocketing, harassment, and open drug use. Aelin’s closest call came there after a concert, late at night, when a woman asked her for money, saying she needed a bed to escape an abusive boyfriend. Aelin handed over the only 20-euro note she had. The woman immediately pushed for more. The story no longer felt believable, and Aelin walked away, realizing how quickly a “normal” encounter could turn threatening.  

The same places that worry residents are the ones most tourists pass through. Official travel advisories and guidebooks generally describe Brussels as safe to visit, but they warn that petty crime, especially pickpocketing and bag snatching, is common in busy tourist areas and around metro and train stations. However, frequent visitors see another side. Although based in the Netherlands, Raluca travels to Brussels regularly to visit her family. She says she has seen pickpockets at almost every visit to the big stations and twice walked straight into taped-off crime scenes after stabbings.  One night, walking back to her uncle’s apartment, a man followed her through the centre, touching himself and shouting explicit sexual comments. “I was alone and I felt completely exposed. I was really scared,” she says. “If you’re alone as a tourist, I don’t know how safe you can really feel here.”