Sex workers protest: “We want to get back to work!”
Sex workers and organisations that defend their interests took to the streets outside the Brussels North Station this afternoon to demand greater clarity with regard to their status and future. It’s unclear when they can get back to work, while many fall outside the social welfare safety net that is supposed to protect us all.
A sex worker, who didn’t want her name in print, told VRT: “Many girls are officially registered as independent professionals and pay their social taxes, but in this crisis when they want their rights to be upheld, they are told they simply don’t exist. We are seeking clarity, because now, as it is, we don’t exist.”
Sex workers want more clarity with regard to their future and the prospect of being able to resume their job, because that is what it is, a job, they say. Another sex worker told VRT: “Prostitution must be removed from the criminal law. I want to do my job properly, but time and time again I am packed off to the margins of society.”
The sex workers are seeking a proper job status and want to get back to work tomorrow.
“Officially I’m a personal trainer” says a colleague. “I have co-workers, who are beauticians and IT staffers. We want to make a go of it on the basis of a clear job status. Today we fall through the net, even though the bills keep coming. We are still very much in demand. It’s very hard to say no. When I deliver an erotic massage I get as close to the punter as a regular masseuse, who is allowed to work. Tell me what the difference is? This is hypocrisy. It’s a disgrace!”
