In Belgium, prostitutes will have access to the same labor rights as other employees

The Belgian Federal Parliament voted, at the beginning of May, a law which will allow prostitutes who wish to benefit from an employment contract and therefore real status, a world first.

Belgium had already distinguished itself in 2022 by being the first country in Europe to decriminalize prostitution, and the second in the world after New Zealand. LThe Federal Parliament has now adopted, on the night of Thursday 2 to Friday 3 May 2024, a law which will allow prostitutes who wish to benefit from a work contract and therefore a real status. Belgium is the first nation to have voted for such a text. Brussels goes even further than countries like Germany and the Netherlands which authorize forms of employment. In these countries, sex workers must either register with the administration or obtain a special permit to carry out their activity. While in Belgium, prostitutes will be full-fledged employees. The objective is to fight even harder against abusive exploitation and the crime that results from it.

What changes in Belgium with this law passed by the federal Parliament is that prostitutes will be much better protected. In the past, it was possible for them to carry out this activity under independent status, which granted social rights. This law will now give them the possibility of signing an employment contract which will guarantee social coverage and compliance with the rules that go with it, such as the duration of working hours, salaries and safety rules. A status which will in fact give sex workers the same rights and protections as other employees, such as receiving unemployment benefits, taking maternity or paternity leave, contributing to retirement or being covered by Health Insurance. This is completely new.

The law also recognizes employers

To move from the status of pimp to that of employer, the latter will have to request approval or risk being prosecuted for pimping. The employer must present a criminal record free of any serious offense and guarantee a secure working environment in premises equipped with an emergency call button, which prostitutes can activate in the event of a problem with a client. Furthermore, refusing a partner or sexual acts specific will not be grounds for dismissal.

But this law is not unanimous, particularly within feminist associations. Although it was adopted by a very large majority, it divides the associations; the Belgian Union of Sex Workers, for example, was delighted and considers that this law aims to improve the ability of sex workers to act by giving them the same rights as other employees. Others, like a collective made up of feminist associations, denounce a law which would not help people escape prostitution and which does not sufficiently fight against the exploitation of women’s bodies.