Belgium has enacted a groundbreaking law granting sex workers the same employment rights as other workers, including health insurance, maternity leave, and pensions. This legislation allows sex workers to enter employment contracts and ensures legal protections, marking a significant shift in recognizing sex work as legitimate employment. The law excludes self-employed sex workers and aims to prevent exploitation by requiring safe working conditions. Advocacy groups see this as a step towards protecting sex workers from abuse, while emphasizing that it does not normalize the profession.
Belgium has introduced a groundbreaking law granting sex workers formal employment contracts, including rights to sick pay, maternity leave, health insurance, and unemployment benefits. This law, effective from Sunday, marks a world first in providing comprehensive employment rights to sex workers, who can now refuse services and work under safer conditions. Employers must meet strict criteria, including obtaining a government license. While the law excludes independent and online sex workers, it represents a significant step towards equal rights for sex workers in Belgium.
Belgium has become the first country to grant sex workers the right to formal employment contracts, providing them with labor protections such as sick leave, maternity pay, and pensions. The new law, effective from Sunday, also ensures sex workers can refuse clients and set conditions for their work. This move follows Belgium's 2022 decision to decriminalize sex work and redefine pimping laws, aiming to protect sex workers from exploitation and discrimination. However, these protections apply only to those with employment contracts, excluding self-employed sex workers and those in pornography or striptease.
Belgium has become the first country to grant sex workers employment protections, including sick days, maternity pay, and pension rights, following a new law that aims to prevent abuse and exploitation. The law, effective from Sunday, provides sex workers with employment contracts and legal rights, allowing them to refuse clients or acts without fear of dismissal. While hailed as a significant step forward by the Belgian Union of Sex Workers, some feminist groups criticize it for potentially normalizing prostitution and failing to address underlying issues of trafficking and exploitation.
Rex Heuermann, a former New York architect already charged with killing four sex workers found on Long Island's Gilgo Beach, is expected to face new charges related to additional victims. Heuermann, who maintains his innocence, was connected to the cases through forensic evidence and is currently held without bail.
At a Cannes press conference, Sean Baker discussed his new film "Anora," which follows a strip club worker and the son of a Russian oligarch. Baker, known for his films about sex workers, aims to humanize and destigmatize their stories. He hinted that his next project will also involve a sex worker. The film, which includes numerous choreographed sex scenes, received a 7.5-minute standing ovation at its premiere. Baker emphasized the importance of actor comfort and safety, noting that he and his producer-wife Samantha Quan acted as intimacy coordinators.
Sex worker and advocate Laura LeMoon highlights the violence and stigma faced by sex workers, following the murder investigation into adult film star Sophia Leone's death. She emphasizes that violence against sex workers is not inherent to the work itself, but is a result of stigma and criminalization. LeMoon shares her own experience of violence and the lack of recourse for sex workers, calling for societal acknowledgment and change to end the stigma and improve the situation for sex workers.
Rex Heuermann, a suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, has been charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the final victim of the Gilgo Four. He was previously charged with the murders of three other women, all of whom were sex workers. Heuermann pleaded not guilty and is being held in a Suffolk County correctional facility awaiting trial. Prosecutors allege that he attempted to destroy evidence and conducted disturbing internet searches. The indictment marks the end of the investigation into the "Gilgo four" victims and provides some closure for their families.
A former NBA G-League player, Chance Comanche, and his ex-girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, have been charged with the murder of a 23-year-old woman, Marayna Rodgers, in Las Vegas. Comanche allegedly confessed to police that he and Harnden planned to lure Rodgers away and strangle her. The motive behind the killing is believed to be related to disputes between Harnden and Rodgers, involving a stolen Rolex watch and Harnden's collaboration with the police to get Rodgers' boyfriend arrested. Comanche and Harnden allegedly attempted to hire someone to kill Rodgers but decided to carry out the murder themselves. Comanche called Rodgers posing as a client, and after meeting up, Harnden zip-tied Rodgers' hands and strangled her while Comanche used an HDMI cable. Comanche led police to the location where they had hidden Rodgers' body. Both Comanche and Harnden are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
A 34-year-old suspected serial killer has been arrested in Rwanda after police discovered the bodies of more than 10 victims buried in his kitchen. The suspect, who had defaulted on rent payments, allegedly targeted sex workers, robbing them before strangling them to death. The man had previously been arrested in July for similar crimes but was released due to insufficient evidence. The shocking case has shocked the country, where murder is relatively uncommon.
Two sex workers have come forward to describe "violent" encounters with the Gilgo Beach suspect, raising questions about the lack of knowledge displayed by the suspect's wife regarding the case. The lawyer representing the suspect has responded to critics, defending the wife's lack of involvement.
The recent arrest in the Long Island serial killings case has brought attention to the many unsolved murders of sex workers across the United States. Similar cases, like the "Eastbound Strangler" in Atlantic City, remain open, highlighting the difficulty in solving crimes against marginalized individuals. Serial killers have historically targeted sex workers because they believed they would not be missed quickly. The FBI has not disclosed the number of unsolved killings of sex workers in the country. Families of victims express frustration and hopelessness, while advocates emphasize the need for law enforcement to take these cases seriously.
"Kokomo City," a new documentary by director D. Smith, is being compared to the groundbreaking film "Paris Is Burning" for its raw and unflinching portrayal of the lives of Black transgender sex workers in New York City and Atlanta. The film sheds light on the dangers they face and the secret attraction and patronization from men. Despite winning awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the film has also been marred by tragedy, as one of the women featured, Koko Da Doll, was shot to death in Atlanta. Smith, a trans woman herself, felt an urgency to tell this story and hopes it will help dismantle stigmas and normalize trans people in society.
More sex workers have come forward to report contact with accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, according to the Suffolk County sheriff. Sheriff Errol Toulon stated that investigators are vetting these reports as they continue to investigate Heuermann, who remains the prime suspect in the deaths of four victims known as the "Gilgo Four." Heuermann, who has been held without bail since his arrest, can now have recreation time alone, make phone calls, and receive mail. Authorities are analyzing evidence seized from his home to potentially link him to other victims.
Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of three women, known as the "Gilgo Four," whose bodies were found along Long Island's Gilgo Beach between 2009 and 2010. Heuermann, a married father, is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and killing of a fourth woman. The victims, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, were all sex workers. Heuermann was identified as a suspect in 2022, and he has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case gained attention due to the gruesome nature of the killings and the long-standing mystery surrounding the Gilgo Beach murders.
