Prostitution in Belgium

[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.

Since 1 December 2024, sex workers or prostitutes within Belgium have had legal access to maternity leave, pensions and unemployment benefits.

[12] Prostitution and paying for sexual services were not prohibited in the 1946 legislation, but Article 380 added the following offences:[12] The 1995 Criminal Law Reform Act made some modification to the existing laws:[12][6] In 2005, the 1995 Act was amended to give greater power against human trafficking, including an increase in maximum sentences.

The anti-prostitution lobby proposals included the banning of window prostitution and criminalisation of paying for sexual services (as stated in the Nordic Model).

Employers must undergo a criminal background check and obtain a license to hire sex workers legally.

[13] The "White Slave Scandal" ("affaire des petite Anglaises") in 1880/1881 brought prostitution in Brussels into the spotlight.

In an attempt to prevent the spread of STIs amongst their troops, the trade was strictly regulated and women forced to undergo regular health checks.

[21] The regulatory regime was regarded as discriminatory towards women in the 1940s,[13] leading to Isabelle Blume's proposals being passed as federal law in 1946.

[14] The efforts by the Belgian authorities to eradicate trafficking was cited by United Nations special rapporteur Urmila Bhoola as "an example of good practice" in 2015.