Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) recently called Germany the “brothel of Europe,” demanding a ban on prostitution and criminal penalties for clients — reviving a long-running debate over sex work laws. Health Minister Nina Warken echoed her call to adopt the so-called Nordic model, which criminalizes the purchase of sex while exempting sex workers from punishment.
Germany legalized sex work in 2002, recognizing it as legitimate labor. The 2017 Prostitution Protection Act further regulated the industry, requiring registration and licensing to improve safety and hygiene. Around 32,000 sex workers are officially registered, though hundreds of thousands remain unregistered, many of them migrant women with limited access to rights and protection.
Supporters of the Nordic model claim it reduces trafficking and exploitation, but evidence from countries like Sweden and France shows the opposite: the trade is pushed underground, making workers more vulnerable to violence, stigma, and police abuse. Criminalizing clients drives sex work further into unsafe, hidden spaces rather than addressing poverty, coercion, or lack of social support.
Decriminalization — as practiced in New Zealand and parts of Australia — is a proven, rights-based alternative. It empowers sex workers to report abuse, access healthcare, and work safely without fear of prosecution. Germany should strengthen protections and labor rights, not repeat the Nordic model’s failures.