Belgium has passed a legislation that grants sex workers the same rights and benefits as other employees. The new law hailed as a world-first, ensures sex workers have access to health insurance, maternity leave, sick pay, and other essential employment benefits.

Under the new legislation, sex workers in Belgium can now enter into formal employment contracts, entitling them to the same legal protections as workers in other sectors. These protections include pensions, unemployment benefits, and annual vacation time, elevating their status and offering much-needed security to those in the profession.

Until now, while consensual prostitution was decriminalised in Belgium, sex work existed in a legal grey area with limited protections. The new law ensures workers’ rights within the sex industry.

The legislation, which does not apply to self-employed sex workers, will also restrict employers with a criminal history, including those involved in trafficking or abuse, from operating in the field. The law mandates that employers provide a safe working environment, including installing alarm buttons, to ensure workers’ security.

Another key provision is that sex workers can now refuse any client or sexual act without fear of being penalised, fired, or otherwise retaliated against.

“We can say it is the first day of a new era,” said Quentin Deltour, an advocate who campaigned for the law’s passage. Deltour, a member of the advocacy group Espace P, which played a key role in drafting the legislation, described the law as a small but significant victory for the protection of sex workers’ rights.

“We realised that there was an ‘under-status’ of citizens when you don’t have social rights associated with your professional activity,” Deltour explained.

“The previous mentality was that sex work is not compatible with women’s dignity. Now we can stop this moral thinking. Sex work is work for some people,” he added, highlighting the shift in societal attitudes towards sex work.

While the new law is seen as a large leap forward, the Belgian sex workers’ union, UTSOPI, remains cautious. They acknowledge the law’s historical importance but stress that it doesn’t aim to normalise sex work as a typical profession. Daan Bauwens from UTSOPI highlighted that many sex workers are driven by economic hardship and inequality, and emphasised that the law is about ensuring basic rights for those in the profession, not glamorising it.

The larger conversation about addressing sex work within the framework of human rights and labour protections. The new legislation undeniably sets a precedent for worker rights in the sex industry.