Ban on purchasing sex
Union parliamentary group vice-president Bär: Germany is the “brothel of Europe”
Since the introduction of the Prostitution Act in 2002, prostitution is no longer immoral in Germany. photo
© Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa
Sex work is a normal trade in Germany. However, according to CSU politician Dorothee Bär, the situation of prostitutes in Germany is “dramatic”. She calls for a ban on buying sex.
She advocated the introduction of the “Nordic model” like in Sweden, where buyers of sex services are punished and not prostitutes. “The example of Sweden shows that with a ban on buying sex, the number of prostitutes drops dramatically.”
Since the introduction of the Prostitution Act in 2002, prostitution in Germany is no longer immoral, but a normal business. The red-green coalition at the time wanted to use the law to improve the legal and social situation of prostitutes – but from an expert perspective, the opposite effect sometimes occurred.
According to a study presented in June, the position of brothel operators, the sex industry and johns has instead been strengthened. The authors of this study also advocate the “Nordic model”. Women’s rights activists have been calling for a ban on buying sex in Germany for years.