Robert Easton
It is estimated that 1.2 million German men use prostitutes each year, and the industry has an annual turnover of US$1.6 billion.
Prostitution was legalised in Germany in 2002. The idea was to remove the industry from criminal hands and thus reduce the illegal trafficking of women, make working conditions safer and reduce stigma.
German Culture: The Sex Industry & Prostitution in Germany
Prostitutes are now able to join unions and get health insurance, but many sex workers prefer not to register with authorities due to discrimination and stigma. The result is that prostitutes are still often forced to work in dark uninhabited industrial areas, which puts them at risk.
The changes to German law do little to help foreign prostitutes, who constitute almost half of the total, because they don’t have the correct work permit. This means they risk deportation if they report ill treatment to the police. Prostitution is already legalised in The Netherlands, and could be legalised very soon in Belgium. Sweden legalised prostitution about 30 years ago, but recriminalised it after about 20 years.
Registered prostitutes are regularly given free mandatory health checks, and it is also possible for customers to write up contracts with sex workers in order to protect them in the case of the desired ‘services’ not being rendered. Unfortunately, a legal loophole means that the prostitutes can’t do anything if the client fails to pay up after they have sex.
Brothels with officially registered prostitutes have to pay a fee of about 15-25 Euros per prostitute per day to local authorities. The city of Cologne receives about 700,000 Euros a month. The Green Party is particularly active in campaigning for the rights of sex workers.Continue Reading