Belgium to decriminalise sex work

“This is a crucial leap forward. We are finally giving sex workers what they are entitled to: recognition and protection. Something they have been asking for decades,” Minister of Justice Vincent van Quickenborne said in a statement to The Brussels Times.

At the moment, voluntary prostitution is not prohibited in Belgium. However, organising prostitution is. At the same time, sex work has been tolerated for a long time. According to news website Knack, the current law dates back to the nineteenth century.

The new bill, which the House Justice Committee approved on Tuesday, aims to remove prostitution from that grey zone. For example, it will no longer be forbidden for a brothel owner to enter into a legal contract with a sex worker “if he or she acts freely and with consent”.

Anyone who enters into any agreement with a sex worker no longer risks prosecution. Sex workers will be able to take out loans more easily, work with an accountant or rent a brothel.

At the same time, in consultation with the Board of Prosecutors General, possible abuses in prostitution are clarified in the law. Pimping remains prohibited, as well as promoting prostitution, inciting prostitution, or taking an ‘abnormal advantage’ from it.

According to Van Quickenborne, this will make it easier to act against human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The Federal Parliament still has to approve the proposal. However, according to news website Bruzz, that is not expected to be more than a formality.