Women taken from African mothers by Belgium seek reparation

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Five biracial women born in Congo when the country was under Belgian rule who were taken away from their Black mothers are suing the Belgian state for crimes against humanity. They hope Belgium will finally recognize its responsibility in the suffering endured by the thousands of mixed-race children who were snatched away from families and placed in religious institutions and homes by Belgian authorities that ruled over the area from 1908-1960. Their case is being examined on Thursday by a Brussels court. The five women, all born between 1945 and 1950, filed their lawsuit last year amid growing demands that Belgium reassess its colonial past.