Belgium has made historical past by passing a groundbreaking regulation that treats intercourse staff as staff, granting them the identical rights and advantages as staff in different sectors.
This regulation, which got here into impact on December 1, 2024, provides intercourse staff entry to sick go away, employment contracts, maternity go away, medical health insurance, and pension rights, marking a major shift in how they’re handled within the office.
The brand new regulation brings intercourse staff in Belgium on par with different staff, making certain they’re not exploited or fired for refusing purchasers.
Belgium had already decriminalized intercourse work in 2022, making it one of many few international locations to take action. In Might 2024, lawmakers voted to increase the identical employment advantages to intercourse staff as these loved by different staff.
Whereas intercourse work has been legalized in different international locations like Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands, Belgium is the primary to move complete employment laws for intercourse staff.
Sophie, a intercourse employee in Belgium, shared her private struggles with BBC Information, recounting how she was compelled to work when she was 9 months pregnant and after having her fifth little one through cesarean part.
Regardless of being suggested to take six weeks of mattress relaxation, Sophie couldn’t afford it. She views the brand new regulation as a step towards social acceptance, stating, “It’s a chance for us to exist as individuals.”
Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, has praised Belgium’s choice and inspired different nations to undertake comparable legal guidelines.
The change within the regulation adopted months of protests in 2022, fueled by the shortage of state assist for intercourse staff through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria, the pinnacle of the Belgian Union of Intercourse Employees (UTSOPI) and a former escort with over a decade of expertise, performed a number one position in these protests.
She recalled the hardships she confronted underneath the criminalization of her occupation previous to 2022, together with unsafe working circumstances, restricted autonomy over her purchasers, and excessive company charges.
Victoria additionally shared a traumatic expertise when she was raped by a consumer who grew to become obsessed together with her. After reporting the incident to the police, she mentioned a feminine officer informed her, “intercourse staff can’t be raped,” and made her really feel that it was her fault. “I left the station crying,” she mentioned.
Victoria emphasised that each intercourse employee she spoke to had been pressured to do one thing towards their will sooner or later, and he or she strongly believes that the brand new regulation will enhance their lives.
