Belgium has passed a landmark law granting sex workers the same rights to maternity pay, pensions, and employment protections as other workers.

On Sunday, the country’s lawmakers signed into law that ensures sex workers are treated as employees, entitling them to benefits such as maternity leave, pension contributions, and legal safeguards against exploitation.

The decision is a result of months of protests in 2022, prompted by the lack of state support for sex workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The historic change aims to offer sex workers greater legal recognition and workplace protections, marking a first for any country worldwide.

The law also extends significant protections to sex workers, guaranteeing the right to refuse sexual partners, specific acts, or to stop an act at any time.

In addition, employers of sex workers must meet rigorous standards, including having a business address in Belgium, maintaining a good character, and ensuring premises are equipped with panic buttons, clean linen, showers, and condoms.

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

Sophie, a sex worker in Belgium, told the BBC that the new law is an “opportunity for us to exist as people”.

Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the law should be emulated by every country in the world.

“This is radical, and it’s the best step we have seen anywhere in the world so far. We need every country to be moving in that direction.”

US President Joe Biden has issued an official, unconditional pardon for Hunter, his son.

In June, Hunter was convicted of drug charges and illegal possession of a gun — becoming the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a crime.

The law prevents drug addicts from owning firearms.

In September, Hunter pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges.

The 54-year-old Hunter had worked as a lawyer and a lobbyist abroad, including in China and Ukraine. He was discharged from the US Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.

In a statement, Biden said his son has been the victim of political persecution.

“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said.

“Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room — with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process.

“Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”

The president added that he kept his word by not interfering with “the Justice Department’s decision-making. And I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted”.

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” he added.

“There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Biden said “raw politics infected the process” of his son’s trial and that he ruminated over the pardon during the weekend.

“There was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden said of the pardon.

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

This is not the first time a US president would be pardoning a member of their family.

In 2001, Bill Clinton pardoned Roger Clinton, his half-brother, for a cocaine-related offence committed in 1985.

The UK government is set to introduce new measures to combat the exploitation of foreign workers, with tougher penalties for employers who break visa rules or fail to meet minimum wage standards.

The proposed Employment Rights Bill, currently under discussion in Parliament, aims to hold employers accountable and curb unethical practices, particularly in sectors that rely heavily on migrant labor, such as health and social care.

Tougher penalties for rule-breaking employers
TravelBiz reports that the UK government is planning to impose stricter penalties on employers who violate visa and wage laws.

The new Employment Rights Bill proposes to double the period during which employers can be sanctioned for serious breaches.

Currently, employers who fail to comply with minimum wage laws or repeatedly break visa rules face a one-year restriction on hiring foreign workers. Under the new measures, this period will be extended to two years, making it harder for non-compliant businesses to hire from overseas.

Stronger enforcement and action plans

The reforms will also introduce more robust enforcement measures. The government plans to introduce action plans for businesses found to have violated visa rules. These plans will require companies to make improvements within one year, a significant increase from the previous three-month period.

During this time, businesses will be restricted from hiring international workers, increasing the pressure on companies to comply with regulations.

Focus on the care sector 

Reports inform that the UK government is particularly concerned with sectors where workers are most at risk of exploitation, such as health and social care.

• Many migrant workers in these sectors have been vulnerable to unethical practices, such as being forced to pay for their visa sponsorship or being underpaid.
• The Home Office has revoked 450 sponsor licenses in the care sector since July 2022, as part of efforts to crack down on exploitation.
• The government is also working to support care workers who are affected by these changes, helping them transition to new jobs when their employers lose their sponsorship licenses.

The government’s commitment to protecting workers 

Migration Minister Seema Malhotra emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting migrant workers from exploitation.

“Worker exploitation is completely unacceptable,” Malhotra said, stressing that businesses that shift the costs of visa sponsorship onto employees or engage in other exploitative practices would face serious consequences.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock echoed this view, underscoring the importance of safeguarding migrant workers in the care sector and ensuring they are not subjected to abuse.

Plans for future expansion of rule changes 

While the initial focus of these reforms will be on skilled worker visas, including those for care workers, reports inform that the government plans to extend these rules to other visa categories in the future. The aim is to ensure that all foreign workers are treated fairly and are not subjected to exploitation by employers who break the law.

Key requirements for employers 

It is stressed that employers must comply with several key requirements to avoid facing penalties under the new regulations.

• These include paying for all costs associated with visa sponsorship, ensuring workers are paid at least the minimum wage, and adhering to all immigration rules.
• Businesses that fail to meet these standards may face up to two years of sanctions and be banned from hiring overseas workers.
• The UK government’s focus is on protecting vulnerable migrant workers, especially those in high-risk sectors such as health and social care.
• By introducing these stricter measures, the government aims to reduce exploitation and ensure that the immigration system is fair and accountable for both workers and employers.