Germany mulls ban on prostitution. Is the country turning into the 'brothel of Europe'?

Germany is considering a ban on sex work, more than two decades after legalising it.

The development comes amid harsh warnings that the country is quickly becoming the “brothel of Europe.”

This is because leading politicians believe the nation is attracting sex tourists from around the world.

Let’s take a closer look.

Germany mulls ban on prostitution

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday said that he has always been “morally outraged” by men purchasing sex.

He added that the sale of sex is “not acceptable” and should not be “normalised.”

According to DW, during a question-and-answer session in the German parliament, Scholz said, “I don’t think it’s acceptable for men to purchase women. It is something that as always morally angered me and we have to do all we can to clamp down on it.”

He did not respond directly to a demand from opposition conservative lawmakers to prosecute “people who purchase the services of sex work,” but said that sex work was often linked to abuse, violence and criminal structures, adding that he would welcome a discussion on how to combat that, the report said.

The Christian Democrat/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) proposed the ban, claiming that the 2002 law failed in its aims of giving sex workers more rights and recognition under German law.

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The government, however, later backpedalled, with Germany’s families minister Lisa Paus stating that there were no plans to change the current laws, according to the German report. She highlighted that the law is intended to strengthen the legal position of sex workers, is under evaluation until 2025.

“The brothel of Europe”

Selling sex was legalised in 2002 by a previous centre-left government. It aimed at giving the now 250,000 sex workers working in the country employment rights, access to welfare benefits and the right to sue clients who refuse to pay for services.

However, promoting it was considered “immoral” and was a criminal act until 2002, as per DW.

Leading politicians have claimed that in practice, the vast majority of sex workers in the European nation are not afforded these increased rights and protections.

According to Dailymail, Dorothee Bär, the deputy leader of the parliamentary group for CDU/CSU, said that almost all of the sex workers working in Germany are foreigners and do not have documents. Therefore, pimps and human traffickers have been the biggest beneficiaries of the legalised sex industry.

“There can be no real equality as long as we accept that hundreds of thousands of women are treated like slaves. It is an offence against human dignity that we urgently need to end,” Bär told Bild, adding, “Germany has become the brothel of Europe. The women are mistreated in the worst possible way by their clients and pimps.”

Calls for Nordic model

According to DW, the conservative party in the Bundestag wants to adopt Nordic Model, wherein customers can be prosecuted for buying sex, and sex workers are not punished.

The model is implemented in several countries, including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, France, Ireland and Israel.

Dailymail report explains that law was initially enacted by Sweden in 1999, which found street prostitution was reduced by half by 2008.

Other countries followed were Norway, Iceland, Canada, France, Northern Ireland.

The proposed legislation would see brothels being shut down, and a ban on the renting of apartments to sex workers. These measures, according to Bär, would reduce but not eradicate sex work in the country.

The debate

Organisations representing sex workers are not happy with the proposals. They claim there is no evidence that Nordic model helps women or lowers sex work, according to Dailymail.

The Professional Association for Erotic and Sexual Services, which represents brothels and independent sex workers, said punishing customers would only make the work more dangerous.

According to the UK-based media outlet, it said, “Since Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce a sex purchase ban 25 years ago, there have been no studies to suggest that the Nordic model has been a success. It is always remarkable to see the means by which the opponents of procuring sex try to realise their moral ideas — at the expense of the rights of sex workers, customers and brothel operators and ultimately at the expense of a tolerant, free and rights-based society.”

With inputs from agencies