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Prostitution in Belgium

Rue d'Aerschot, one of the red-light districts in Brussels (pictured in 2008).

Prostitution in Belgium is legal and was decriminalized on 1 June 2022.[1][2][3][4] Human trafficking or exploiting individuals involved in prostitution is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.[5]

Some cities in Belgium have a red-light district, often with window prostitution.[6] In 2015, it was estimated that there were 26,000 prostitutes in Belgium,[7] many of them are from Bulgaria.[8]

A report commissioned by the National Bank of Belgium,[9] revealed estimations of a turnover tax of €840 million from forms of prostitution in 2015.[10] The most important segments of the market seem to be escort and private prostitution, rather than the more visible forms of window or street prostitution.

Since 1 December 2024, sex workers or prostitutes within Belgium have had legal access to maternity leave, pensions and unemployment benefits. Belgium is the first country in the world to implement and enact these reforms.[11]

  1. ^ Stroobants, Jean-Pierre (2 June 2022). "Belgium decriminalizes sex work". Le Monde. Brussels. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  2. ^ "LOI - WET". www.ejustice.just.fgov.be. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. ^ Redactieteam-elfri.be. "Decriminalisering prostitutie". www.elfri.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ Times, The Brussels. "'Historic': Belgium first in Europe to decriminalise sex work". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010". U.S. Department of State. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference exeter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Johansson, Sarah (15 May 2015). "Prostitution on the rise in Belgium". Brussels Times. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  8. ^ Petrunov, Georgi (2009). Sex trafficking and money laundering: the case of Bulgaria (PDF). Risk Monitor. p. 16.
  9. ^ National Bank of Belgium. "A new measure of the economic importance of prostitution in Belgium" (PDF). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  10. ^ Adriaenssens, Stef; Hendrickx, Jef; Machiels, Thomas; Heylen, Wim (2015). "A direct measure of output in prostitution in Belgium". doi:10.13140/rg.2.1.4868.6807.
  11. ^ "Belgium Makes History: New Law Grants Sex Workers Unemployment Benefits, Leave, and Pensions". inkl. 3 December 2024.
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