Belgium becomes the first country in the world to offer an employment contract and protections to sex workers

A law adopted in May came into force in the country on Sunday. It opens up labor rights and new protections to people working in prostitution.

A world first, which came into force on Sunday December 1st. In Belgium, sex workers can now benefit from a contract and labor rights, reported the office of Pierre-Yves Dermagne, federal minister of Labor, cited by The evening. The country had already decriminalized sex work in 2022.

The law offering these new protections to people working as prostitutes was adopted in May. It thus offers them a status, as well as access to several rights such as leave or better supervision of their working time. This concerns “the right of access to Social Security, to have access to the pension (…) when the person is ill, they can submit a medical certificate and have the right to health and to take care of themselves”, details with RTL Info Isabelle Jaramillo, coordinator of the Espace P association. She also mentions “ladies who are pregnant who may be excluded“.

People working as prostitutes will also be better protected if they refuse a sexual act or a client. They will be able to stop any act at any time, and set their conditions before the start of any sexual intercourse. According to the text, “it only belongs to him [au travailleur] to consent or not to a sexual act, regardless of the terms or agreements previously agreed with the client or employer”, according to the text cited by Liberation. Employers will have to have approval and follow several rules, adds the website of Group S, a Belgian organization specializing in human resources: offer rooms of a certain size and guarantees in terms of hygiene, provide condoms and install a button emergency for their workers.

According to RTL Info, this development nevertheless leaves certain categories aside. “For street work, this remains at the discretion of the municipal authorities”, pointe Isabelle Jaramillo. “Here too, we will have to work with the municipalities, because they sometimes have policies that are so repressive that it pushes the people who operate underground. And clandestinity is the door open to all abuses, including exploitation and trafficking in human beings.”