The ‘Safe Place’ project will be inaugurated on Friday in Rue de Brabant and rue d’Aerschot in Brussels with the participation of 15 shops and Utsopi, a non-profit organisation that defends the rights of sex workers.
They have all volunteered to become “safe places for victims of present or imminent threat or street harassment,” the municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode announced on Thursday.
These temporary shelters are one of the actions implemented by a committee of shopkeepers, sex-worker-rights advocates, education stakeholders and the local police. Against the background of the security and drug problems that plague the area, they have been coming together since September 2022 to strengthen positive exchanges between local stakeholders.
In concrete terms, citizens will be assured that, in places where a Safe Place sticker is displayed, shopkeepers will volunteer to welcome and support possible victims, listen to them and notify the police if necessary.
“For us, these safe places will reduce response time,” said Laurent Deschrijver, commissioner of the Brussels-North police zone. “There will be a direct line of communication between the Safe Place and the police station. The aim is to make concrete progress in the interest of all.”
For Espace P., an association that has been supporting sex workers in Brussels-North for 35 years, this is a salutory initiative.
“Our teams of social workers are often victims of harassment during the week and in the evening,” the association noted. "Sex workers and social workers suffer from the deteriorating situation in the neighbourhood. From now on, we can work together to positively reform this neighbourhood.”
“In order to be part of a real continuous improvement process and to ensure that the service offered best meets the expectations of its beneficiaries, constant monitoring and evaluation will be carried out,” Saint-Josse-ten-Noode's municipal authorities stated.
