The first sex workers in the world to gain maternity leave and pensions

BELGIUM — As of December 1, Belgium sex workers are able to sign employment contracts allowing them to gain access to health insurance, pensions, and annual vacation, maternity or sick leave. It is the first law of its kind in the world, giving sex workers the same rights and social benefits as other workers. It was passed by the Belgian parliament in May with 93 votes in favour, 33 abstentions and no votes against. The law also protects sex workers by allowing them to refuse certain sexual acts or clients without being fired. Additionally, it ensures them the right not to be employed by people with incurred convictions for serious crimes, to prevent them from falling into exploitation networks. In 2022, Belgium became the first country in Europe to decriminalise sex work, and the second in the world after New Zealand.

MEXICO — On November 20, Zacatecas decriminalised abortion, becoming the 17th Mexican state to do so. Following a vote in Congress, abortion is now defined in the state’s penal code as “a pregnancy interruption after the first 12 weeks of gestation”. Those who have an abortion after that period could face three to six months in prison, or to 100 to 300 days of community service, with the exception of rape, risk to the patient’s life, or foetal abnormalities. That same week, the Chiapas Congress voted to reform Article Four of its constitution, which previously protected the right to life ‘from the moment of conception’ and subsequently passed a bill decriminalising abortion. On November 25, the State of Mexico also decriminalised abortion in all cases during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion is now decriminalised in 19 of Mexico’s 32 states — the majority of which changed their laws after the country’s Supreme Court found that banning the procedure was unconstitutional in 2021.

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s court of final appeal ruled on November 26 that same-sex married couples have the right to apply for public housing as a family unit and the right to inheritance. Even though same-sex marriage is still not legal in the country, the top court stated that the exclusion of the same-sex couples who married overseas is unconstitutional. In his ruling, judge Andrew Cheung wrote that excluding same-sex married couples from Hong Kong’s housing policies wasn’t justified, and that social benefits should be provided “free from discrimination”. Meanwhile, judges Joseph Fok and Roberto Ribeiro wrote that the government had “failed to justify the differential treatment” between heterosexual and same-sex couples when it came to inheritance, and therefore such discrimination was “unlawful.” This was the court’s latest ruling after a long exchange between plaintiffs and the government. A previous court ruled that Hong Kong must provide a legal framework for same-sex unions by October 2025.

COLOMBIA — Colombia’s senate has passed a bill banning child marriage and early unions. Already approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the bill must now be signed by president Gustavo Petro to enter into force. The previous law allowed marriage from the age of 14 with parental consent. Official data shows that 13,3 % of girls aged 15-19 and 2,9% of adolescent boys are married or in early unions in Colombia. Last year, 114 children were married in the country. The new legislation prohibits marriages or unions in which one or two of the partners are minor. A national prevention programme will also be created to support young people in their life goals, promoting education and personal development.

ARGENTINA — Argentina was the only country to vote against a UN resolution on the prevention and eradication of online violence against women and girls during the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York last week. While a total of 170 nations voted in favor of the resolution, 13 others abstained, including Iran, Russia, Nicaragua, and North Korea. The ‘Intensification of efforts to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: the digital environment’ declaration expresses “deep concern over the growing number of groups, including incels, inciting to and engaging in abuses in the digital environment, including sexual harassment of women and girls”. Since winning power, the government of the far-right libertarian Javier Milei has closed the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, blocked the purchase of essential supplies for abortion access and banned gender-inclusive language in official documents. It has also been criticised for the constant online harassment against journalists and activists, especially women.

IRAN — The government of Iran has announced it will establish a mental health clinic for women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab. Talebi Darastani, the director of the Department of Women’s Affairs said that women and girls would receive “scientific and psychological” treatment for removing the hijab, adding that visits to the clinic would be “optional’. In early November, a young woman stripped down to her underwear at the Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch in Tehran and was swiftly arrested. In a video published on social media, the student can be seen in her underwear before being taken away by security officials. The authorities said that the woman was a “troubled individual”. She received “treatment” and was released without charge on November 19.

FRANCE — On November 23, the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, thousands of women participated in demonstrations all over France. The march to support Gisèle Pelicot, a survivor of mass rape, and to fight gender-based violence, was supported by 400 human rights organisations and public figures. The previous week, Gisèle Pelicot made her final address to the court in the trial of her ex-husband and 51 other men accused of raping her while she was drugged. Asked by the defence lawyer why she was still carrying the name Pelicot, she replied: « I have grandchildren who are called Pelicot. I want them not to be ashamed to have the name. I want them to be proud of their grandmother. I want people to remember Madame Pelicot, not Monsieur Pelicot. » Prosecutors have asked for the maximum 20-year sentence for Dominique Pelicot.

AFGHANISTAN — Afghan women who were arrested under anti-begging laws passed earlier this year were subjected to sexual abuse, torture and forced labour, a Zan Times investigation revealed. According to testimonies collected by the Afghan media, they also have to witness children being abused and even seen beaten to death. Women are often forced to beg because of the oppressive situation in the country, where they have lost the right to study, work or travel without a male guardian. Under legislation passed in May, people in good health who have money to pay for a meal are forbidden from begging. Those classified as “destitute” who are arrested for begging can receive financial assistance after their release. However, this does not apply to women.

LIBYA — The Libyan National Unity Government’s interior minister, Emad Trabelsi, has proposed introducing wide-ranging restrictions on the rights of women and girls, raising alarm in the international community. Trabelsi said he would deploy “morality police” to monitor social interactions between women and men, and threatened to “imprison” unrelated couples who meet in public, claiming that Libya has “no space for personal freedom”. The minister said that women and girls should wear a hijab, and that women travelling abroad would need a written authorisation of a male guardian such as a father, husband, or brother. His proposed measures are reminiscent of the restrictions suffered by girls and women in Iran and Afghanistan, which campaigners say operate a system of “gender apartheid”. “The restrictions on clothing, social interactions, and travel would flagrantly violate the rights of Libyan women and girls, yet the prime minister and other government officials have remained conspicuously silent on the proposals,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

New here?

Impact is a weekly newsletter of feminist journalism, dedicated to the rights of women and gender-diverse people worldwide.

This is the English version of our newsletter; you can read the French one here.