Belgium Makes History, Granting Sex Workers Full Employment Rights
In a groundbreaking move, Belgium has become the first country to grant full employment rights to sex workers. This landmark law, which went into effect Sunday, means sex workers are now entitled to the same benefits and protections as any other employee in the country.
"This is a world first in the sense that it is the first comprehensive legislative framework that grants sex workers equal rights (with other employees) and protects them from risks inherent to the (job)," said Daan Bauwens, director of the Belgian Union of Sex Workers, underscoring the significant implications of this legislation.
Under the new law, sex workers signing a formal employment contract can avail themselves of rights rarely afforded to them previously, including sick leave, maternity leave, health insurance, and unemployment benefits.
Quentin Deltour, public relations manager at Espace P, a Belgian group advocating for sex workers’ rights and instrumental in drafting the law, explained that these workers now have “every kind of social protection” granted to the majority of employees in Belgium.
The law also empowers sex workers to refuse service to a client or perform specific acts and to halt activity at any time.
To ensure worker safety and ethical practices, the law mandates employers obtain a government license, granted only after meeting specific criteria, including no prior convictions for rape or human trafficking. An added layer of protection mandates employers to provide condoms, clean linens, and emergency alarm buttons in workers’ rooms.
This watershed moment builds upon Belgium’s decriminalization of sex work two years ago, a move that overturned laws prohibiting third-party services like accounting and landlord services for sex workers.
“Employers were also criminalized, making it impossible to work legally in a brothel,” explained the Belgian Union of Sex Workers.
Learn more about Belgian sex work decriminalization.
Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, highlighted the significance of this progressive step: “Decriminalization brings you to a point where you’re allowed to live above ground without fear of going to prison, but that is a low bar. Sex workers deserve the same rights and freedoms as all workers, and this law is a world first moving us in that direction.”
While this groundbreaking law represents a major victory for sex workers’ rights in Belgium, it doesn’t extend to all types of sex work. Independent workers, those operating online, or in the pornographic film industry, remain excluded.
"This is a weakness," Deltour acknowledged, "But at least it is a first step, the door is open… we are in the door and now we are going to fight for the others’ rights.”
This historic move by Belgium sets a powerful precedent for other countries and can spark a global conversation about the rights and protections afforded to sex workers worldwide.
