Parties pledge to reform prostitution laws
Men who buy sexual acts from women forced into prostitution will face penalties under promised reforms to Germany’s liberal sex industry laws.
It is one of the changes due to be made to the country’s prostitution laws, which legalized the sale of sex 12 years ago. The newly agreed coalition has said it would introduce the changes in the new year.
Hans-Peter Uhl, domestic affairs spokesman for the conservative Christian Social Union said on Monday, making prostitution illegal was not on the cards but those who took advantage of “recognizable forced prostitution” would face sanctions.
The coalition agreement drawn up between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) stated: “We will not only act against human traffickers but also against those who knowingly and willingly take advantage of the plight of victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution and abuse them for sexual acts.”
Health secretary Annette Widmann-Mauz, CDU, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) that whoever exploited forced prostitution should also have to deal with the police “arriving at their door.”
The coalition accord spoke of a “comprehensive revision” of the law to punish those taking advantage of women forced into prostitution.
But Widmann-Mauz did not reveal what the punishments would be or whether it would result in a financial fine or a criminal conviction.
So-called “flat rate sex”, where the customer pays a fixed amount for as much sex as they want in a set time period, will also be outlawed under the changes, the FAZ reported.
Comments
See Also
It is one of the changes due to be made to the country’s prostitution laws, which legalized the sale of sex 12 years ago. The newly agreed coalition has said it would introduce the changes in the new year.
Hans-Peter Uhl, domestic affairs spokesman for the conservative Christian Social Union said on Monday, making prostitution illegal was not on the cards but those who took advantage of “recognizable forced prostitution” would face sanctions.
The coalition agreement drawn up between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) stated: “We will not only act against human traffickers but also against those who knowingly and willingly take advantage of the plight of victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution and abuse them for sexual acts.”
Health secretary Annette Widmann-Mauz, CDU, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) that whoever exploited forced prostitution should also have to deal with the police “arriving at their door.”
The coalition accord spoke of a “comprehensive revision” of the law to punish those taking advantage of women forced into prostitution.
But Widmann-Mauz did not reveal what the punishments would be or whether it would result in a financial fine or a criminal conviction.
So-called “flat rate sex”, where the customer pays a fixed amount for as much sex as they want in a set time period, will also be outlawed under the changes, the FAZ reported.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.