Information portal on the legal framework for sex work in Belgium

Legal developments and the 2022 reform

Timeline, scope of decriminalisation and the main legal effects introduced by the reform that entered into force in 2022.

Chronology Before / after

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1. Chronology 2. The situation before 2022 3. The 2022 reform 4. Before / after comparison

1. Chronology of legislative developments

For a long time, the legal framework governing sex work in Belgium relied on a combination of de facto tolerance and related criminal offences. This situation created lasting legal uncertainty for the people concerned. The 2022 reform marked a structural turning point by clarifying what falls within lawful practice and what remains punishable under criminal law.

  • Before 2022: coexistence of the absence of direct criminalisation of the person engaging in sex work and a set of indirect criminal offences linked to organisation, assistance or advertising.
  • 2022: amendments to the Criminal Code and the removal of certain offences targeting the exercise of sex work between consenting adults.
The reform does not abolish criminal law: it refocuses it on serious violations of freedom, consent and dignity.

2. The legal situation before 2022

Before the reform, Belgian law did not directly criminalise the person engaging in sex work, but it maintained numerous related criminal offences. This configuration produced a fragmented and hard-to-read framework.

  • No clear recognition of sex work under ordinary law.
  • High criminal risk as soon as a third party intervened in the organisation.
  • Difficulties in securing effective access to social rights and stable legal statuses.
In practice, this situation encouraged informality and made it harder to identify abuse or exploitation.

3. The 2022 reform and decriminalisation

The reform that entered into force in 2022 changes the criminal framework by explicitly distinguishing voluntary sex work by adults from situations that constitute criminal offences.

  • Removal of certain offences targeting the practice as such.
  • Maintenance and reinforcement of offences linked to coercion, exploitation, trafficking and the involvement of minors.
  • Opening the way to partial integration into ordinary law (work, social security, administrative rules).
Decriminalisation aims to reduce grey areas, while strengthening the capacity to detect and prosecute abuse.

4. Before / after comparison

Before 2022

  • Indirect and fragmented criminal framework.
  • Legally risky organisation.
  • Limited access to social rights.

Since 2022

  • Clarification of the lawful scope.
  • Decriminalisation of practice between consenting adults.
  • Stronger criminal framework against exploitation.
Legal compliance now depends as much on the actual conditions in which the activity is carried out as on the declared status.