Associations

UTSOPI is a young association, that exists since December 15th 2015. We are a collective of sex workers in Belgium, under self-government, for more empowerment and autonomy. UTSOPI is the Union of the Sex workers Organized For Independence. For the independence of our lives, of our bodies, of our choices.

 We have two main goals :

– The creation of conversation spots or places to share experiences for the sex workers in Belgium. There are lots of associations, also specific ones for sex workers, but there isn’t anything for us managed by us. We want to be able to meet one another amongst ourselves, to talk about our lives, about our setbacks, our good fortune, our efforts and about our anger.

Those conversation spots are also an opportunity to give one another advice, amongst colleagues, suggestions that only other sex workers can know. The support of colleagues, and a sympathetic ear, is sometimes the only thing we need.

– To represent as well as possible ALL sex workers in Belgium, and to improve our living conditions, notably through an amendment of the law. The actual Belgian system is hypocritical : on the one hand condemning, on the other hand, tolerant, and always accepting that we pay our taxes and charges, but without ever giving us more rights.

Numerous associations and politicians, notably abolitionists, take some pleasure in talking about us without ever asking us what we might think about it. Our motto : “Nothing about us without us !”. Besides questions of moral order, of choice and non-choice, what we demand are rights for all sex workers.

To be perfectly clear, what we wish for, is the decriminalization of sex work in Belgium, access to the same rights of the general population for the sex workers, and the struggle against trafficking in humans, something we all have to fight against.