Belgium grants sex workers maternity pay, pensions under historic new law: ‘An incredible step forward’

Sex workers in Belgium will now be entitled to maternity pay, a pension, health insurance and other employment benefits under a new law that went into effect Sunday. 

The new law – passed by pols in May in an attempt to crack down on sexual abuse and exploitation – also allows the workers to refuse sexual partners, withhold certain sexual acts and stop a service at any moment without fear of losing their job.

The legislation, believed to be the first of its kind, comes two years after the country decriminalized sex work.

“It’s an opportunity for us to exist as people,” Sophie, a sex worker in Belgium, told the BBC.

“I had to work while I was nine months pregnant. I was having sex with clients one week before giving birth. I couldn’t afford to stop because I needed the money,” she said.

Under the new law, the country’s sex workers will have access to employment contracts and legal protections that provide health insurance, paid leave, maternity benefits, unemployment support and pensions. The legislation also provides for rules on working hours and pay. 

Employers are required to adhere to strict safety and cleaning standards, with all brothels equipped with clean condoms, linens and hygiene products — along with an emergency button, according to the new law.

No employer is allowed to operate if they have been convicted of sexual assault and human trafficking, the law states. 

Isabelle Jaramillo, coordinator of Espace P, an advocacy group that helped draft the legislation, said the new law will be revolutionary and offer clear protocols to employers and courtesans.

“This is an incredible step forward. It means their profession can finally be recognized as legitimate by the Belgian state” she told The Associated Press. 

“Under the previous legislation, hiring someone for sex work automatically made you a pimp, even if the arrangement was consensual. Now, they’ll have to apply for state authorization to hire employees,” she said of brothel operators.

Other countries such as Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey have also legalized sex work, but none have established labor protections for employees, multiple outlets reported.

Critics slammed new provisions as normalizing a “violent” profession that leads to human trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse.

“In what other job would you need a panic button?” said Julia Crumière, a volunteer with Isala, an organization that helps sex workers on the streets in Belgium, to the BBC.

“It’s not the oldest profession in the world, it’s the oldest exploitation in the world.”

The brothel owners disagreed — and said they hope the new regulations will weed out bad apples in their industry.

“I think many businesses will have to shut down because a lot of employers have a criminal record,” said Kris Reekmans, who employs 15 sex workers at his massage parlor, Love Street, in Bekkevoort to the outlet.

“I hope the bad employers will be shut down and the good people who want to do this profession honestly will stay — and the more the better.”