Belgium

Gaps in mental health services existed before the pandemic broke out in 2020, but COVID-19 has made things considerably worse. Lockdowns, isolation, joblessness, school closures, anxiety over infection - these factors have affected everyone in society. But estimates show that children and young people have suffered disproportionately.

"Our youth are our future and our hope. We have an obligation to protect and to support them now," Her Majesty Queen Mathilde said. 

"I am happy to see that this cooperative spirit and this urgency are at the heart of the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition, which is being launched today. [People] want neglect and stigmatization to end, they want access to counselling and treatment. They long to be recognized as active members of their communities. And they want dignity." (Photo : Barbara Dietrich)