Civil servants working for the Belgian Federal Government will be granted two days' leave for pregnancy loss, as part of a new measure that extends to both women experiencing pregnancy loss and their partners.
Minister for Civil Service Petra De Sutter (Groen), who is also a gynaecologist, announced the new measure which was approved by the ministerial council on Friday.
The Minister underlined that pregnancy loss is a "physically and emotionally distressing event" and that it is important to acknowledge the pain and loss involved.
"Women and their partners working for the Federal Government will be given two days' leave if they lose a pregnancy," De Sutter said.
"People faced with an early pregnancy loss under 180 days are entitled to the two days. They must have already informed their employer that they were pregnant, as noted in the Welfare at Work Code."
Breaking the taboo
Last year, 884 Federal Government staff members took maternity leave.
De Sutter stated that, while the number of pregnancy losses among federal employees is unknown, studies suggest that up to 25% of pregnancies result in a loss.
"People who lose a pregnancy often deal with it alone because they don't know how others will respond to their pain. By enacting this two-day leave into law, I hope to help break this taboo and open up a discussion about pregnancy loss," she said.
Employees in Belgium are entitled to up to 15 weeks of maternity leave, while those who are self-employed are entitled to 12 weeks of leave for a pregnancy.
At the start of 2023, paternity leave entitlement for fathers and co-parents was extended from 15 to 20 days. Campaigners have called for this to be extended or made compulsory, however, to encourage more fathers to avail of it.
