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In a first of its kind legislation, sex workers in Belgium will now be entitled to official employment contracts, health insurance, pensions, maternity leave, and sick days.
The new legislation will allow sex workers to benefit from the same rights and legal protections as other employees. Belgian lawmakers voted on the law in May, and it has now come to effect.
Sex work was decriminalized in Belgium in 2022 and is legal in several countries, but establishing rights and contracts is a global first.
Speaking to CNN, Daan Bauwens, director of the Belgian Union of Sex Workers (UTSOPI) said, “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).”
The new legislation allows sex workers to refuse to provide services to a client or perform a sexual act and to stop any activity at any time. It also requires sex workers to operate legally under the law by obtaining a licence from the government.
The law requires employers to provide a safe working environment equipped with alarm buttons. Each worker’s room must contain condoms and clean bed linen, among others. It also establishes rules on working hours, and pay.
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