Belgian Sex Workers Gain Right to Sick Days, Maternity Pay, and Pension Rights
Belgian lawmakers have voted to give sex workers the same employment protections as any other employee, making it the first law of its kind in the world. The law, which went into effect on Sunday, ensures that sex workers have employment contracts and legal protection. It is intended to end the grey zone created in 2022 when sex work was decriminalized in Belgium but without conferring any protections on sex workers.
Under the law, sex workers have the right to refuse sexual partners or to perform specific acts and can stop an act at any time. They cannot be sacked for these refusals. Employers must be of “good character” with a business residence in Belgium and ensure their premises are equipped with panic buttons, clean linen, showers, and condoms.
However, the protections do not cover home working or activities such as striptease and pornography. The Belgian Union of Sex Workers described the law as “a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers.” But it also warned that the rules could be “instrumentalized” to reduce or eliminate sex work.
Some feminist organizations have criticized the law. The Council of Francophone Women of Belgium called it “catastrophic” for young girls and victims of trafficking. The head of the organization said, “To assume that prostitution exists and that we must protect workers is to accept this sexist violence and not to fight it.”
