The Belgian Federation of Sex Workers described the law as “a huge step forward to end legal discrimination against sex workers”.
Belgian sex workers have received the right to sick days, maternity pay and a pension, the first in their field in the world, writes a British newspaper, among other things The Guardian.
Legislators voted in May to ensure that sex workers receive the same job security as other workers.
The law, which came into effect on Sunday, December 1, guarantees sex workers an employment relationship and legal protection.
This is to get rid of the gray area created in 2022, when sex work was decriminalized in Belgium, but sex workers were left without protection or workers’ rights, such as unemployment benefit or health insurance.
According to the new law, sex workers have the right to refuse sexual partners or certain acts. They cannot be fired for refusals.
Employers must be of “good character” and domiciled in Belgium. Employers must ensure that their premises have emergency buttons, clean linen, showers and condoms.
The Belgian Federation of Sex Workers described the law as “a huge step forward to end legal discrimination against sex workers”.
“Normalizes a profession that is inherently violent”
Some feminist organizations have criticized the law. When the bill was published in 2023, the Council of Francophone Women in Belgium said it would be “catastrophic” for young girls and victims of human trafficking.
– This is dangerous because it normalizes a profession that is always fundamentally violent, says the British Broadcasting Corporation for the BBC Julia Crumiere. He works as a volunteer in the NGO Isala, which helps sex workers on the streets in Belgium.
– This is radical, and it is the best step we have seen so far anywhere in the world. Every country must move in this direction, describes a researcher from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch Erin Kilbride for the BBC.
Germany and the Netherlands, for example, have legalized sex work, but no other country has introduced as comprehensive labor protection as Belgium.
AP