Time passes as if there is no tomorrow. We have a legal opinion from a cabinet of international lawyers who tell us that the European Commission law presents problems and despite this, the response of our government is absent.
Instead of helping and supporting the profession the ministry of health does not dialogue with us, on the contrary, in times of need, he has real disappeared, like a ghost.
What happens in tattooing in Belgium and what are the numbers in the sector? Hold on tight... because we are talking about huge numbers, the public health spf talks about 500,000 Tattoos in 2017. Let's try to analyze for a moment our surrealistic situation.
We are overwhelmed by social dumping, foreign workers who tattoo illegally, we do not know who to report this crime because the SPF health does not answer about the reported cases, we see the same illegals from 2 years and more, 4 years, 10 years etc. Perhaps due to lack of personnel or other problems but the fact remains that we are unable to stop illegal abusers and they are a real danger for public health, people who have no hygiene training, who do not pay taxes, who in many cases also do abusive surgeries and who do what they want in Belgium!
The current situation is that we have a new colors inks now and next year they will be illegal again, also now that legal inks are found but... who controls who really uses them? We pay because we are honest but the illegals tattooist don't pay.
We don't know who really do and what, because nobody try to talk with the only two Belgians tattoo association of tattoo.
What happens in
Europe...
Very important ... Denmark joined Austria in defending the 80 million tattooed in Europe, France has made great strides and Italy is at the forefront of tattoo training.
The question is, what happens in Belgium?
The nothingness of the endless story that advances, in practice, as they say in Italy, we are waiting for something serious to happen and then the national press will finally call the health minister to ask why he pretended nothing happened.
In fact, you will find more information on inks on this site of our association (not subsidized by any institution) than on the other sites of the Belgian state (yes is crazy but is totally real)...
Everyone is now free to invoke the pandemic as an excuse for everything, but we have not received a constructive and satisfactory response in years.
The only interlocutor who is sensitive is Minister Clarinval who unfortunately cannot do anything for us because the 2005 law condemned us to be linked to a ministry that does not realize that 12% of Belgians are tattooed. The situation is serious, we have not tired of repeating it for more than 2 years.
Clandestine operations must be stopped and these unhygienic tattoo artists who come to work from abroad and flee every week, this criminal system is draining the economies of honest tattoo artists and these crimes endanger the population every day.
Nothing has changed, indeed, with the crisis we only see more illegal and they are only more rich and aggressive against legals workers and customers!
Also know that people are afraid to report abusive tattoo artists and our association is not listened by the SPF public health, because by law it can ignore us, which it does systematically. In fact, we invoke help, we need real sanctions those who commit crimes, quickly and strong actions, because they are a danger for customers and public health.
The absence of an organic territorial control policy, with tattooist who can explain better what real happen, is a failure. We are only going towards the worst. The only luck of Belgium is that the population retains a sense of honesty and autonomous respect, and I want to point out that even this moral sense fails in the face of an overwhelming crisis.
Social networks like Facebook and Instagram are full of those who defraud without need to work hidden. They do what they want in public.
So allow a bad question... But only fools like us pay all and follow the laws ?
Think well we need to saving honest workers in our sector, the situation has gone beyond the serious, we are already beyond the law since January 4, 2022, the day in which all tattoo artists in Europe suddenly became illegal.
The other European nations begins to work in defense of public health with tattooists!
We wait and ask to the Belgian gouvernement to do its duty, help the citizens and respect the law of 2005. Our association is there only for this, to defend the last trench of legality in our sector at the national level.
Courage to the honest tattooist and shame to those who take advantage of the institutional vacuum to live in crime, you are the shame of the category.
Let each person make an analysis of conscience and tell the truth to themselves.
The situation will remain serious as long as everyone pretends that there are no problems in Belgium and the rest of nations of Europe behaving in the wrong way when they listen and help citizens...
Yes, we are not going well, is a disaster.
Ad Maiora
Bruno Menei
Chairman ATB www.tatouagebelgique.orgm