Ufirst in Europe. Since 1er last June, sex workers are “professionals” in their own right in Belgium, reveals West France. Indeed, the Belgian Parliament had passed last March a major law on criminal law related to sexual offences. Among the main measures, the integration of the concept of consent, a broader legal definition of rape but above all the total decriminalization of prostitution. Objective: to adapt the Belgian Penal Code to current issues.
According to the Belgian police, there are 26,000 prostitutes in the country. However, until now, they have worked in a very vague framework. And for good reason, their activity, although illegal, was tolerated by the authorities. At the same time, all these women did not necessarily have a regular activity. Thus, according to the Catholic University of Louvain, they would be less than 6,000. It’s a safe bet that this legislative clarification will reshuffle the cards. According to the text voted by parliamentarians last March, prostitutes can now benefit from the same rights as all Belgian workers. In addition, they will be able to access all social protection – from illness to unemployment – in the same way as “classic” employees.
In Belgian law, however, it is still forbidden to pimp, especially since the purpose of the law is to “pull the rug out from under the feet” of these individuals who often take advantage of physically and psychologically fragile people. On the other hand, a banker or an insurer who would work with a prostitute will no longer fall under the scope of the law.
Belgium, a country ahead?
To date, Brussels is the only capital to have legalized the practice of prostitution within the European Union. If similar legislation exists in other European countries, the conditions being too restrictive, the effects have never been felt. In Germany, for example, to be recognized as a “prostitute”, you need a work contract, which is not always the case.
Moreover, this is not the first time that Belgium has distinguished itself on such societal progress. In 2002, it was the second country in the world to make euthanasia possible. A year later, same-sex marriage was legalized. Conversely, the country tightened its cannabis legislation in 2017. Until that date, the authorities allowed residents to possess up to three grams of cannabis without any problem.
With regard to prostitution, this reform had been demanded for many years by the prostitutes themselves. Their arguments: this would put an end to discrimination and would make it possible to fight effectively against human trafficking. “History has shown us that the only tool to fight against slavery are rights. And, by criminalizing, we create an area of lawlessness, “explains Daan Bauwens, director of the organization representing sex workers, to West France.