German Law Protecting Prostitutes Produces “No Measurable Improvement" – Report

Only 76 of the reportedly 200,000 women who work as prostitutes in Germany have registered for state services, Die Welt reported on Monday, citing the government’s answer to an inquiry by the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

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The FDP's human rights chairman, Gyde Jensen, said the government's answer to its inquiry showed that the law's intended goals had not been achieved.

“There has simply been no measurable improvement,” Jensen told Die Welt, adding that “the intended goals were not met.”

The legislation defending sex workers rights, also known as the "prostitution law" ("Prostitutionsgesetz") came into force back in 2002, allowing sex workers to register for state-run health insurance, pensions and unemployment benefits, aiming to improve workers’ social and legal situation. Another prostitution law was enacted by Germany in 2017 calling for prostitutes to register with their local authorities and undergo regular health checkups.

The answer to the inquiry noted that most prostitutes do not wish to register themselves as sex workers, choosing to register under some different professional category in order to continue working anonymously.