German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he wants more legal restrictions on prostitution in Germany, adding that prostitution is “unacceptable” and should not be “normalized”.
“I don’t think it’s acceptable for men to buy women,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the German parliament on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s something that always makes me morally angry and we have to do everything we can to control it.”
A red-light district in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: DW
Mr Scholz did not directly respond to demands from opposition conservative lawmakers to prosecute "those who buy prostitution services", but he said prostitution is often linked to abuse, violence and criminal structures, adding that he would welcome a discussion on how to combat it.
The conservative Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) have called for a ban on clients buying sex, but the sex workers themselves remain unpunished, citing similar regulations in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, France, Ireland and Israel.
The European Parliament has also voiced support for a ban on prostitution following the so-called Nordic Model.
Last week, German Minister for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth Lisa Paus of the Green Party said the government has no plans to change Germany's Prostitutes Protection Act. She pointed out that the law, which came into effect in July 2017 and aims to strengthen the legal status of sex workers, will be reviewed until 2025.
Prostitution was legal in the Federal Republic of Germany (including the former West Germany), but its promotion was considered "immoral" and a crime until 2002.
Mai Van (according to DW)
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