Bundestag President Julia Klöckner of the center-right Christian Democrats reignited Germany’s debate over sex work by saying the country has become the “brothel of Europe” and calling for a ban on prostitution and the purchase of sex. In a speech read at an award ceremony, Klöckner said current laws do not adequately protect sex workers. Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) backed her, calling for a criminal ban on clients while exempting sex workers from punishment and offering them comprehensive help to leave the industry.
Sex work in Germany has not been considered “immoral” since the 2002 Prostitution Act, which recognizes it as a legal service and gives sex workers the right to be paid. The 2017 Prostitution Protection Act added registration requirements for sex workers and licensing for brothels, with approvals contingent on meeting minimum safety, hygiene and equipment standards.
At the end of 2024, the Federal Statistical Office recorded about 32,300 registered sex workers in Germany. Only around 5,600 were German citizens; about 11,500 were Romanian and 3,400 Bulgarian. Researchers estimate the number of unregistered sex workers ranges from roughly 200,000–400,000 at the low end to as many as 1 million. Many of the unregistered are foreign women with limited German who lack knowledge of their rights and have little access to health and support services; a large proportion are believed to be in forced prostitution, driven by poverty or coercion by pimps.
Critics of legalization say it expanded the market, driving down prices and increasing competition. Federal Criminal Police Office reports indicate rises in human trafficking and forced prostitution, and an increase in abusive clients.
Klöckner and Warken favor adopting the “Nordic model,” which criminalizes the purchase of sexual services and organized procurement but not the sale. First introduced in Sweden in 1999 and later in Norway, the model has been adopted in countries including Iceland, Canada, France, Ireland and Israel. It targets clients and pimps while exempting sex workers, and pairs criminalization of buyers with support and exit programs for sellers. Penalties for buyers can include fines and, in Sweden, prison terms of up to one year; Norway also prosecutes citizens who buy sex abroad.
The debate divides advocates. Many who view sex work as legitimate labor push for stronger rights, protection and destigmatization, arguing that criminalizing buyers will push sex work further underground, for example into harder-to-regulate online spaces. Supporters of the Nordic model counter that most sex work already occurs covertly and that not punishing those forced into sex work is essential. They argue that holding clients criminally liable can reduce demand and overall levels of sex work, making it easier to combat trafficking and abuse. A University of Tübingen study found the model “contributes to an objectively measurable reduction in the number of victims of human trafficking in the long term.”
Advocates of the Nordic approach stress that a law alone is insufficient. The Federal Association for the Nordic Model says comprehensive, well-funded assistance must be provided to those who want to leave the sex trade, including housing, psychological care, education and prevention programs, along with consistent prosecution of pimping and trafficking, to reduce forced prostitution effectively.
This article was originally published in German.