Brussels sex workers victims of "aggression and intimidation"

A group of 65 Brussels sex workers have signed an open letter protesting at new police regulations that have banned them from working in the Alhambra neighbourhood.

The women used to work in the streets around KVS theatre in central Brussels, near Ijzer metro, but since March, they have been forced to stand along a stretch of the Antwerpsesteenweg on the other side of the inner ring road. The new regulations came into force following complaints from the local residents’ association.

“In the past, we worked in several small streets; things were more balanced, we were respected,” the letter states. “Now we are being intimidated on all sides, as if it was acceptable to behave aggressively towards us.”

The women are calling on the public to have some understanding for their situation. “A lot of us have children, partners or husbands,” they say. “A prostitute isn’t automatically an alcoholic or a drug addict. Some of us have university degrees. If prostitution didn’t exist, we would be forced to live on the streets.”