A Belgian law that qualifies sex workers as workers, with all the same legal protections and rights, went into force on Sunday. It is the first law of its kind worldwide.
The law provides that sex workers can sign work contracts that endow all the normal rights, such as sick days, healthcare, paid maternity leave, unemployment benefits, and pensions. It includes specific protections for sex workers, such that they can refuse clients or specific acts, and cannot be fired for these decisions.
The law applies only to sex work that involves physical contact, so pornography, stripping, phone, and webcam work do not apply.
“This law is a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers by allowing a full-fledged contract,” wrote the Belgian Union of Sex Worker regarding the law. “But there are risks involved.”
They warned that hygiene regulations included in the law could be exploited to simply crack down on sex work, and that those without legal residence in Belgium were not covered by the law.
These regulations include requirements that working premises are sanitary and equipped with a panic button. The law also stipulates that sex workers must pass a background check that they have no prior convictions for sexual assault, human trafficking, or fraud.
Sex work has been decriminalized in Belgium since 2022, though the new law expands protections considerably.
