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, The Guardian reports.

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 gray zone created in 2022 when sex work was decriminalized in Belgium but without conferring any protections on sex workers, or labor rights such as unemployment benefit or health insurance.

Under the law, sex workers have the right to refuse sexual partners or to perform specific acts and can stop an act at any time. Nor can they be sacked for these refusals.