A new law gives some sex workers in Belgium more protection from exploitation and violence and more social benefits than any other similar legislation in the world, rights researchers and advocates say.
Belgium decriminalized sex work in 2022, a first for Europe.
Under this new labor law, which passed in May and took effect on Sunday, sex workers can choose to sign a formal employment contract — although they do not have to do so.
“It is the most comprehensive labor law related to sex work that we have seen globally,” Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch who focuses on women’s rights and L.G.B.T.Q.
A labor contract will give sex workers of all genders, as it does other employees, broader access to the country’s robust social security system, including paid maternity leave and sick leave, unemployment aid and the ability to make pension contributions.
Persons:
Erin Kilbride
Organizations:
Europe, Human Rights Watch
Locations:
Belgium