Sex work in Belgium

The decriminalisation of sex work in Belgium was approved by Federal Parliament on March 18th 2022 and came into effect on 1st June 2022. However, under the new law it remained illegal for sex workers to work under an employment contract. This left sex workers with the choice between self-employment or a semi-legal contract in a grey zone with no guaranteed rights or protection.

In response, the Belgian Labor, Health and Justice Cabinets worked with sex worker-led organisations to develop a labour law for sex work. On 2nd May 2024, this law was approved by Belgian federal Parliament. The law enables sex workers to work under an employment contract and gain access to social protection benefits.

The sex worker trade group, UTSOPI, wrote of the new law:

In the first place, this means access to social security: pension, unemployment, health insurance, family benefits, annual vacation, maternity leave, etc. At the same time, the law ensures that sex workers in the workplace are protected from work-related risks and not anyone can become an employer.

Central to the new law are the freedoms of sex workers: any sex worker may choose to refuse a client or a sexual act, interrupt an act or perform it however they wish. Those who wish to become employers must not have incurred convictions for serious crimes, must appoint a reference person for the sex worker's safety and provide an alarm button that immediately connects to the reference person.

A website's ad campaign telling young women they could fund their studies by dating a sugar daddy has provoked a wave of 'outrage' at Belgian universities.

Vans have been driven around universities displaying messages such as Hey students! Improve your lifestyle and Zero euro student loan? Date a sugar daddy. The website also sent out press releases claiming it was aiming to sign up 300,000 Belgian members by the end of 2018.

Politicians and universities are taking legal action the website RichMeetBeautiful.com to stop the campaign. The website is currently fighting similar censorship in Norway.

The man behind the website, Norwegian Sigurd Vedal, told Belgian media that his website was not promoting prostitution at all, although he argued that money was part of every relationship.

The Federation Wallonia-Brussels, which covers Belgium's French-speaking community, says it will sue the website for encouraging debauchery and prostitution. Meanwhile Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) has complained to Belgium's advertising regulator.

Earlier this month, the Norwegian consumer ombudsman said the campaign on posters, Facebook and YouTube had to be scrapped or changed immediately as it broke advertising rules on sexual discrimination.

The Brussels muslim mayor has proposed laws intended to suffocate the red light window business located near Brussels North station.

According to sex workers, the owners of the buildings are opposing a regulation brought forward by Mayor Emir Kir. Twenty two bordello owners on Linne street will now take their case to court.

The new laws mean that window owners will see the fees rise from 950 to 3000 euros. The sex workers will also have to show conformity and medical certificates. Their working hours will also be reduced by 25%.

One of the owners, Pascale De Bruycker, said:

We have been trying to provide a conformity certificate since August, but the commune has always found ways to refer the issue. The mayor Emir Kir does not want to give new certificates, but he will close our bordellos if we don't have any.