The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
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Latest items for Belgium

Dec. 4, 2024, 4:33 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-2

"The Belgian Union of Sex Workers described the law as 'a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers.' But it said the rules could 'be instrumentalised' to reduce or eliminate sex work. It added: 'We already see certain municipalities hiding behind the words ‘safety’ and ‘hygiene’ to promulgate very strict local regulations that make sex work almost impossible on their territory.'" (par. 9-10). "Some feminist organisations have criticised the law. When the bill was published in 2023, the Council of Francophone Women of Belgium said it would be 'catastrophic' for young girls and victims of trafficking. 'To assume that prostitution exists and that we must protect workers is...more
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:33 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: IRP-LAW-3

"Belgian sex workers have gained the right to sick days, maternity pay and pension rights under the first law of its kind in the world. Lawmakers voted in May to give sex workers the same employment protections as any other employee, in an attempt to clamp down on abuse and exploitation. The law, which went into force on Sunday, ensures that sex workers have employment contracts and legal protection. It is intended to end a grey zone created in 2022 when sex work was decriminalised in Belgium but without conferring any protections on sex workers, or labour rights such as unemployment benefit or health insurance" (par. 1-4). "Under the law,...more
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:33 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: IRP-LAW-1

"It is intended to end a grey zone created in 2022 when sex work was decriminalised in Belgium but without conferring any protections on sex workers, or labour rights such as unemployment benefit or health insurance" (par. 4).
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:33 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-3

"Belgian sex workers have gained the right to sick days, maternity pay and pension rights under the first law of its kind in the world. Lawmakers voted in May to give sex workers the same employment protections as any other employee, in an attempt to clamp down on abuse and exploitation. The law, which went into force on Sunday, ensures that sex workers have employment contracts and legal protection. It is intended to end a grey zone created in 2022 when sex work was decriminalised in Belgium but without conferring any protections on sex workers, or labour rights such as unemployment benefit or health insurance" (par. 1-4).
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:33 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-1

"The Belgian Union of Sex Workers described the law as 'a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers'" (par. 9). This suggest that women participating in the sex industry have the option to be part of a labor union (IME - CODER COMMENT).
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1

"Roughly two women are killed in Belgium each month purely by virtue of the fact that they are women, a recent study by the advocacy group Stop Feminicide has found" (para 1).
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: MURDER-DATA-1

"Roughly two women are killed in Belgium each month purely by virtue of the fact that they are women, a recent study by the advocacy group Stop Feminicide has found. The study found that at least 183 femicides have been committed in Belgium since 2017, including 24 murders last year and 3 earlier this year" (para 1-2). "It [femicide study] also discovered that in the overwhelming majority of cases the murderer was the victim's current or former lover, and that domestic violence is often a precursor to the eventual killing. 'A large majority of femicides are 'intimate' femicides,' Dirkx [Advocacy group Stop Feminicide coordinator] explained. 'Nine out of ten are...more
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: DV-PRACTICE-1, DV-PRACTICE-2

"'Very frequently, domestic violence has already been reported before the facts. For example, for the second-most recently recorded femicide, there were seven police reports against the perpetrator for domestic violence.' Dirkx [Advocacy group Stop Feminicide coordinator] further explained that women are most at risk whilst separating from or divorcing their partner, and that generally femicides are especially notable for their intense brutality" (para 5-6).
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: DV-DATA-1

"It [femicide study] also discovered that in the overwhelming majority of cases the murderer was the victim's current or former lover, and that domestic violence is often a precursor to the eventual killing. 'A large majority of femicides are 'intimate' femicides,' Dirkx [Advocacy group Stop Feminicide coordinator] explained. 'Nine out of ten are femicides committed by a partner or ex-partner'" (para 4-5).
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: ATFPA-PRACTICE-3

"She [Advocacy group Stop Feminicide coordinator] added: 'We must understand that the society in which we have lived until today is an appalling society from the point of view of relations between men and women... If we want to go down in history as a civilised society, we must have as a political project the end of the patriarchy and [aim for] our societies turn to their backs on hegemonic masculinity. It is much more difficult than passing a law, but it is our only possible future'" (para 10).
Aug. 25, 2024, 6 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-5

"'This victory is symbolic, as it sends out a message of respect for our profession,' said Verstappen with satisfaction. 'But the enforcement of the law still runs up against discrimination, which prevents us from changing things.' For her, the next challenge is to open up attitudes. 'Prostitution has never gotten good press,' she says, delicately. 'But this law has the merit of allowing sex workers to come out of the closet, to be more at ease in a society that can show itself to be very moralistic'" (para 4).
Aug. 25, 2024, 6 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-1

"But working as a sex worker means leading a double life. Officially, with the authorities, Verstappen had been a waitress or stripper: a cover generally used by sex workers to avoid exposing their real occupations and running the risk of being discriminated against. This is often still the case today, according to Daan Bauwens, the current director of Utsopi, who, one year after the law, still receives frequent testimonials. 'A sex worker just told us that her bank asked her to change banks when it became aware of her occupation. Access to housing and workspaces is still virtually impossible once certain landlords discover their professions'" (para 6).
Aug. 10, 2024, 2:57 a.m.
Countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States
Variables: MULTIVAR-SCALE-6

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March 31, 2024, 3:14 p.m.
Countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Guyana, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
Variables: TRAFF-SCALE-1

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March 30, 2024, 10:05 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: TRAFF-DATA-1

According to the U.S. State Department's 2023 TIP report, Belgium ranks as a Tier 1 country (85). The report noted that while the government meets the minimum standards, it investigated and prosecuted fewer suspected trafficking cases, and 56 percent of the sentences issued to convicted traffickers were fully or partially suspended. The government also imposed several conditions limiting victims’ access to services. This suggest that enforcement is becoming more lax (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
March 11, 2024, 2:31 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: IRP-LAW-1

"Is selling sex criminalised? Selling sex itself is legal and sex work is tolerated and regulated at a local level. Each area develops its own policy and sex businesses tend to be located in red light districts that are tolerated by authorities. Being a sex worker outside of a toleration zone would likely be illegal and leave sex workers open to administrative fines. The Belgian Penal Code does contain two criminal laws that could be used against sex workers (although it seems that these are not enforced) - Art 380bis criminalises those who "in a public place will have by words, gestures or signs provoked a person to debauchery". There...more
Feb. 2, 2024, 6:33 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: DV-DATA-1

According to 2022 data from the WHO's Global Health Observatory, the proportion of ever-partnered women and girls (aged 15-49) in Belgium who have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in their lifetime is 22 percent (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:24 p.m.
Countries: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
Variables: MMR-SCALE-2

0
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:19 p.m.
Countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkmenistan
Variables: MMR-SCALE-1

5
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:15 p.m.
Countries: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Rep, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, D R Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad/Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Variables: ERBG-SCALE-1

1more
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:06 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Rep, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, D R Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Variables: DACH-SCALE-2

1more
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:03 p.m.
Countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay
Variables: DACH-SCALE-1

0
Jan. 21, 2024, 11:10 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: MMR-DATA-1

According to a 2023 report on global trends in maternal mortality from 2000-2020 published by the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group, and UNDESA/Population Division, in 2020 the maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) in Belgium was 5 (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 20, 2024, 1:37 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: ERBG-DATA-2

According to 2023 World Bank Gender Data collected from the most recent ILO modeled estimates from 2020 onwards, the female laborforce participation rate (as a percentage of the female population ages 15+) in Belgium is 50.6% (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 7, 2024, 3:30 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: DACH-DATA-1

According to the World Bank, as of 2021, life expectancy in Belgium is 84 years for women and 80 years for men (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Dec. 28, 2023, 2:18 p.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: DACH-DATA-1

According to 2019 data from the WHO's Global Health Observatory, average life expectancy in Belgium is 79.3 years for men and 83.5 years for women (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Oct. 12, 2023, 3:59 p.m.
Countries: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam
Variables: BR-SCALE-1

0
Sept. 29, 2023, 9:40 a.m.
Countries: Belgium, Norway, United Kingdom
Variables: BR-DATA-1

"10 births per 1000 population"
Sept. 8, 2023, 10:15 a.m.
Countries: Belgium
Variables: AOM-DATA-2

"Women who were first married by age 18 (% of women ages 20-24) is '0%'"
June 17, 2023, 5:11 p.m.
Countries: Armenia, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Cyprus, D R Congo, Denmark, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Japan, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Serbia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Togo, Ukraine, Vietnam
Variables: MARR-SCALE-2

1.0