Prostitution is legal in Belgium, but related activities such as organising prostitution and other forms of pimping are illegal. Most of the red-light districts RLDs in Belgium are made up of windows where the prostitutes sit, usually scantily dressed, trying to entice customers in although some street prostitution does occur.
The main red light district in Brussels is north of the Gare du Nord. In Rue d'Aerschot , Rue de Brabant and the surrounding side-streets there are sex shops and many windows where prostitutes sit. Further away from the station the girls are more from Ghana and Nigeria. The Alhambra Quarter of Brussels South-west of the Gare du Nord has traditionally been an area where street prostitution has occurred.
In , new regulations were introduced to restrict the girls and also to punish kerb-crawlers. This was overturned by the Council of State at the end of A second, smaller area of street prostitution is along Avenue Louise , where street walkers ply their trade at night. Gay prostitution occurs around the Place Fontainas. In Antwerp prostitution is only permitted in the area bounded by Verversrui, Vingerlingstraat and Schippersstraat, [2] locally knows as 'schipperskwartier' shipper's quarters.
Prostitution in the city was previously run by gangs and violence was common. The areas in which prostitution was allowed was reduced to the Schipperskwartier, and a permit system was introduced.
The permits for owners of the windows have to be personally signed by the mayor. The area was refurbished and pedestrianised in an attempt to get away from the previous seedy-looking image. Usually, windows in red light districts are isolated from one another, but the windows here are interconnected in groups of 3, 5 or 7 so the prostitutes may socialise with each other and also aid each other in the event of trouble with a client.
