Zorgcentra na Seksueel Geweld (ZSG) — Belgium's Hospital-Based 24/7 One-Stop Care Centres for Sexual-Violence Survivors

Belgium launched three pilot Zorgcentra na Seksueel Geweld (Care Centres after Sexual Violence) in October 2017 at UZ Gent, UMC Sint-Pieter (Brussels) and the university hospital of Liège. They were designed by the International Centre for Reproductive Health at Ghent University (UGent-ICRH) and are coordinated by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. Survivors can come 24 hours a day, without first reporting to the police, for medical care, forensic examination by specially trained forensic nurses, psychological support, and (if they wish) a complaint taken by trained police officers in the centre, including a filmed hearing.
The one-year pilot evaluation found demand well above forecasts: 930 victims attended the three centres against roughly 600 anticipated by professionals. The average victim age was 25 and 29% were minors; vulnerable groups (LGBTQI people, undocumented people, people with disabilities) also reached the centres. About three quarters presented within a week of the incident. Of the victims who attended, 68% filed a police complaint over the first two years; the federal foreword to the evaluation contrasts this with roughly 10% outside the centres (a government-reported comparator, not a controlled comparison). Victims and staff reported high satisfaction with having all care in one place; the evaluators noted variable reception quality for victims who went to police stations first.
The network has since grown: the Institute reported 8,230 victims cumulatively by the 2022 annual report (90% women, 32% minors at registration, average age 24, 62% knowing the perpetrator, 78% receiving medical care within seven days), and Belgian media reported more than 5,000 victims in 2025 and over 22,500 since 2017, with 10 centres and three more planned. Part of the rise reflects more centres and greater visibility rather than only more violence.
Limitations and lessons: the pilot evaluation recommended a legal framework for the centres and for the forensic-nurse role, more staff and funding scaled to caseloads, storage solutions for forensic samples, and better support for survivors of older incidents. No cost-effectiveness data are published, and follow-up in the first year was under 12 months for many victims.

Read the full analysis: https://zsg.belgium.be/nl/de-zorgcentra-na-seksueel-geweld-cijfers