About Us
Founded in Brussels in 2019, Rainbow Refugee Committee (RRC) is a refugee-led LGBTQIA+ organisation, created by and for LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers.
RRC is the first refugee-led LGBTQIA+ organisation of its kind in Belgium.
Since 2024, RRC has been operating under an expertise agreement with Fedasil, the Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, recognising its specialised expertise in providing socio-legal support to LGBTQIA+ applicants for international protection.
“Our mission is to support, inform and empower LGBTQIA+ people seeking international protection, while promoting their rights, safety and inclusion.”
“Our work combines specialised socio-legal assistance, community support, safer accommodation, awareness-raising and advocacy. “
“We strongly believe that people with lived experience of forced migration should be recognised not only as beneficiaries of support, but also as experts and active participants in shaping the solutions that affect their lives.”
Socio-legal support
As part of our expertise agreement with Fedasil, we provide specialised individual support to LGBTQIA+ people who have submitted an application for international protection in Belgium on the grounds of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
Our services include information, guidance and preparation throughout the Belgian asylum procedure, including interviews with the Immigration Office (OE/DVZ) and the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA/CGVS).
Community support & empowerment
We organise regular support groups and safe spaces where LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers can share experiences, access information, overcome isolation and build community connections.
Rainbow Rooms
Through partnerships with reception and accommodation organisations, we contribute to providing safer accommodation for LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers facing homelessness, discrimination or violence.
Awareness-raising & advocacy
We work with reception centres, public institutions and partner organisations to improve the protection, reception conditions and recognition of LGBTQIA+ people seeking international protection.
Our Impact in 2025
In 2025, Rainbow Refugee Committee:
- Supported 438 individual beneficiaries from 58 different nationalities.
- Recorded 2,108 social support interventions and conducted 485 individual consultations.
- Organised 49 collective activities, bringing together 452 cumulative participations.
- Provided safer accommodation to 41 people through the Rainbow Rooms programme, representing 1,397 nights of accommodation.
- Participated in 61 partnership meetings and inter-organisational exchanges.
These figures reflect both the growing need for specialised support and the importance of refugee-led organisations in addressing the specific challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ people seeking international protection in Belgium.
Contact information
For LGBTQIA+ people who have applied for international protection in Belgium and need socio-legal support.
Email: info@rainbowrefugee.be
+32 491 76 99 26
Text messages only – no calls
Our information flyer is also attached and could be made available as a downloadable PDF on the URC website.
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FEATURED STORY
No One Should Go Through This Alone.
Axel Boutahar’s Journey with the Rainbow Refugee Committee
Through his personal experience as an LGBTQIA+ asylum seeker, Axel explains the origins of RRC, the importance of refugee-led initiatives and the development of our activities, including socio-legal support, community groups and Rainbow Rooms.
Source: KET MAG Brussels – Queer Magazine, Winter 2026, Issue 11, pp. 13–14, Text by Iker Del Rio – Photography by Elena Leleu..
Read the full story ( PDF )🌈 Support Us 🌈
The Rainbow Refugee Committee does not benefit from structural subsidies.
Therefore we need your financial support to be able to continue to carry out our essential work.
You can make a contribution to ‘Rainbow Refugee Committee‘ mentioning that it concerns a ‘DONATION’ to
BE59 5230 8145 5726 (TRIODOS)
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