A groundbreaking law, which gives some sex workers greater labor protections and social benefits than similar legislation elsewhere in the world, in now in effect in the European country.

Belgium is granting sex workers full labor rights, including health insurance, paid leave and pensions, starting Sunday.

A new law in Belgium granting labor rights to sex workers went into effect Sunday after the European country voted in 2022 to decriminalize sex work.

Her life would have been much easier had she had a right to maternity leave, paid by her employer. Under a new law in Belgium - the first of its kind in the world - this will now

Under the new law, which took effect Sunday, sex work employees have access to paid public holidays and to Belgium's version of Social Security. Sex workers will also have access to paid sick days, maternity leave,

The new law guarantees fundamental rights for sex workers, including the ability to refuse clients, set the conditions of an act, and stop an act at any moment.

The Belgian Union of Sex Workers called the law “a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers.”