Sex Work Decriminalization in Belgium What is criminalization? What we called “criminalization” referred to the fact that all third-party services needed by a sex worker (SW) to perform their work were considered criminal. In other words, they were deemed to be acts of pimping. Legislators made no distinction between human trafficking and sex work, assuming that any professional working with a sex worker was coercing them. Furthermore, the consent of sex workers was presumed non-existent ("the person’s consent is irrelevant"). All sex workers were considered victims to be protected, and anyone associated with them was labeled a pimp guilty of exploiting them. This logic meant that providing a workplace for a sex worker, working as their accountant, creating their website, giving advice, opening a bank account for them, hiring them, or offering them taxi services within the scope of their work were all considered acts of pimping. What is decriminalization in Belgium? It is particularly noteworthy that the decriminalization of sex work was carried out as part of a broader reform of the sexual criminal code. The previous code, dating back to 1867, was outdated, notably because sexual offenses were not treated as violations against individuals but as offenses against public morality and family order. Additionally, sexual offenses and notions of rape were poorly defined. The new criminal code aimed to place the notion of consent at its center, better delineate sexual offenses against individuals, and impose harsher punishments. It is within this context—of better defining consent and its absence (explicit or coerced) in the general realm of sexuality—that the capacity of sex workers to consent in a work context was introduced. What changes and opens up? The reform differentiates between the concepts of pimps and third parties within the professional sector. It recognizes consent and the withdrawal of consent for sex workers. Decriminalization is not the end or culmination of a process but the beginning. It is the sine qua non condition to effectively combat the discrimination sex workers face in all areas of professional and personal life. It also lays the groundwork for broader societal change in the perception of sex work and sex workers.