Up until June of this year, sex workers in Belgium were part of the underground economy: they had no access to social security, sick pay, loans or credit, nor did they pay tax.
They also criminalised everyone around them so that those who “assisted” them — from a web designer to an accountant — were also open to prosecution.
But that all changed with the passing of a landmark decriminalisation law — the first in Europe and the second in the world.
“We fought really, really, really, really hard for that,” Daan Bauwens, interim director of UTOPI, a Belgian sex worker organisation, told Euronews.
Belgium decriminalised all third parties and allowed some to be lawfully employed as sex workers, with a contract guaranteeing their labour rights. Prior to the change, sex work was “tolerated” but the result was a sector where there were no standards or safeguards, which Bauwens said are crucial to prevent exploitation.
Another key factor was the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown policies, which was “a disastrous period for sex workers” according to Bauwens – because as a part of the underground economy they were unable to access state support.
There was a large grassroots campaign to financially help sex workers and the state eventually contributed to this scheme because they were unable to provide a social security net for workers that did not legally exist. The issue got a lot of media attention and campaigning, which helped put decriminalisation on the agenda when a new coalition government was formed in October 2020.
It showed so clearly that sex workers are organising for themselves, they know how to do that, that can speak for themselves and they have some political demands,” Bauwens said.
They also criminalised everyone around them so that those who “assisted” them — from a web designer to an accountant — were also open to prosecution.
But that all changed with the passing of a landmark decriminalisation law — the first in Europe and the second in the world.
“We fought really, really, really, really hard for that,” Daan Bauwens, interim director of UTOPI, a Belgian sex worker organisation, told Euronews.
Belgium decriminalised all third parties and allowed some to be lawfully employed as sex workers, with a contract guaranteeing their labour rights. Prior to the change, sex work was “tolerated” but the result was a sector where there were no standards or safeguards, which Bauwens said are crucial to prevent exploitation.
Another key factor was the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown policies, which was “a disastrous period for sex workers” according to Bauwens – because as a part of the underground economy they were unable to access state support.
There was a large grassroots campaign to financially help sex workers and the state eventually contributed to this scheme because they were unable to provide a social security net for workers that did not legally exist. The issue got a lot of media attention and campaigning, which helped put decriminalisation on the agenda when a new coalition government was formed in October 2020.
It showed so clearly that sex workers are organising for themselves, they know how to do that, that can speak for themselves and they have some political demands,” Bauwens said.
No comments:
Post a Comment