Prostitutes have gained the right to maternity leave, sick days and pensions in Belgium under the first law of its kind in the world.
They will also be given the right to refuse clients and to say no to specific acts and cannot be sacked for these refusals under the rules.
The legislation, which was approved by the Belgian parliament in May and came into force yesterday, also establishes rules on working hours, pay and safety measures.
Sex work was decriminalised in Belgium in 2022 and it is legal in several countries including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey.
But the law meaning prostitutes can now sign formal employment contracts and gain labour rights on a par with those in other professions is a global first.
The Belgian Union of Sex Workers described the law as ‘a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers’ and said it will help clamp down on abuse and exploitation.
However feminist organisations have criticised the legislation and described it as ‘catastrophic’ for young girls and victims of trafficking.
The new law also states that employers of prostitutes must provide clean linen, condoms, and hygiene products – and install emergency ‘panic buttons’ in workspaces to keep women safe.
Sex work was decriminalised in Belgium in 2022. Pictured: Red Light District, ‘Glass Alley’, in Ghent, Belgium
Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, described the law as ‘radical’
It also dictates that pimps must now obtain a licence to run brothels and meet background requirements, including having no prior convictions for sexual assault or human trafficking.
Prostitutes or their pimps will also be able to request a government-backed mediator to come in and settle any employment-related disputes.
Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, described the law as ‘radical’, telling the BBC: ‘It is the best step we have seen anywhere in the world so far. We need every country to be moving in that direction.’
However Julia Crumiere, a volunteer with charity Isala which helps Belgian sex workers, said the majority of women involved in prostitution want help to leave the profession and get a ‘normal’ job, not employment rights.
‘It is dangerous because it normalises a profession that is always violent at its core,’ she said.
Isabelle Jaramillo, co-ordinator of Espace P, an advocacy group involved in drafting the legislation, described it as ‘an incredible step forward’.
She said: ‘It means their profession can finally be recognised as legitimate by the Belgian state.
‘From the employer’s perspective, this will also be a revolution. They’ll have to apply for a state authorisation to hire sex workers.
‘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 authorisation to hire employees.’